


That Night in Italy

by sehyeokie



Category: BinJin - Fandom
Genre: Adult Content, F/M, Family, Fluff and Smut, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:41:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,337
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29253867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sehyeokie/pseuds/sehyeokie
Summary: When Ye Jin raised her head and looked at him, she felt that her heart was home. She came to a conclusion that for this man, she would give it her all. She knew him for more than 15 years and he had earned her heart by baring her his own. Completely and unreservedly. It was her turn to that now. For him, she would bravely take that risk.
Relationships: Hyun Bin/Son Ye Jin
Comments: 11
Kudos: 44





	1. Prologue

Ye Jin was standing outside of the wedding hall, her phone clutched in one hand while her eyes scanned around to look for him. 10 more minutes, she thought to herself. The entourage was already lined up and she was starting to get anxious that a certain man won't make it.

Did something to happen to him?

Is he bailing?

Her thoughts were going haywire when a warm hand took hers and gently wrapped it around his arm.

"You look pretty.", Hyun Bin said nonchalantly as he fixed his cuffs and straightened his tie.

Ye Jin discreetly pinched his waist that made him let out a short whimper, "I told you not to run late".

"Sorry, my meeting went longer than I thought. I'm here now, so stop fussing and hold your bouquet properly.", he said.

"Don't tell me what to do.", Ye Jin backfired.

"I won't let you trip.", Hyun Bin winked.

In front of them was Su Jin, trying so hard to stifle her laughter. If only you two could see how you look in the eyes of everyone else, she thought.

A few minutes later and the mahogany doors opened. When the organizer ushered them in, Ye Jin and Hyun Bin walked arm-in-arm into the wedding hall. There were a couple of familiar faces they saw within the crowd and they both served their best smiles until they reached the front of the room, where they parted ways and headed to their designated seats.

A little while later, the bride came in. Jin Ah looked ethereal in her simple white dress and Ye Jin felt the tears in her eyes as she watched one of her best friends walk down the aisle.

Back in high school, Jin Ah was one of her most loyal girlfriends. She didn't have a big circle, but Jin Ah, Su Jin, and Ji Hye were more than enough. Growing up in an affluent family, Ye Jin was well known in their small hometown. She was pretty, smart, and good-natured. Everyone seemed to love her as she always radiated positive energy to those around her.

However, her popularity was also the reason why she grew up to be more guarded than most people. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that there had been many instances in her life when her so-called 'friends' befriended her for rather selfish reasons. Girls would pretend to be close to her in public but talk crap behind her back. Boys would openly court her, only to parade her around like a trophy girlfriend then dump her after receiving the attention they desired.

The pain and humiliation caused by her experiences back then led Ye Jin to build an impenetrable wall around her. She had to learn the hard way that wearing her heart on her sleeve would only reap bad results, and she had only trusted very few people since then.

One of those was the man seated at the adjacent row right across the aisle, whose eyes were locked on the lovely couple reciting their vows in front of the guests. How did this motherf*cker get so lucky? he thought as he watched Jin Woo, one of his high school buddies, put a wedding ring on Jin Ah's hand.

Like Ye Jin, Hyun Bin didn't have that many friends either but for a different reason. He didn't grow up in what the Korean society would call a 'traditional family'. He was a child born out of wedlock, with both of his parents in their last year of high school when he was 'accidentally' conceived. His birth mother nearly aborted him if it weren't for his aunt, Ae Ri, who volunteered to take him in and raise him for the rest of his life, even though that decision eventually left her unable to marry. Since then, he's never heard or met his father while his mother left for the States right after he was born and had her own family.

Despite Ae Ri's hard efforts to protect and raise him, their setup still didn't fit a normal family and that didn't spare Hyun Bin from the gossips around their neighborhood.

Regardless, he still grew up to be a well-mannered young man. He was calm and quiet, but sincere and thoughtful. Unlike Ye Jin, who refused to wear her heart on her sleeve in an attempt to protect herself, Hyun Bin chose to do so in order to reveal himself. He wanted to prove to others that his unconventional family situation didn't make him any different from the rest of his peers.

Their differences laid the groundwork for Hyun Bin and Ye Jin's friendship. They became each other's strength as they made up for what the other was lacking and they were each other's safe space where they could pour their raw hearts and thoughts into without fear of being judged. Ye Jin would step up to protect Hyun Bin whenever people took advantage of his kind persona, while Hyun Bin would always be there to extend his compassion whenever she became too restrained. With him, Ye Jin felt understood and validated. With her, Hyun Bin felt secure and appreciated.

They stayed together throughout their lives that way. They became a part of each other's significant memories, like when they had their first shots of soju, when they took their SATs, attended their first college party, and applied for their driver's license. His shoulder was soaked with her tears when Ye Jin had her first heartbreak and she watched Hyun Bin drink himself to oblivion when he had his.

He would come out of his dorm in the middle of the night when Ye Jin's girlfriends would call him to pick her up after having one too many drinks on a girls' night out, while she would drop by Hyun Bin's dorm every week to leave homecooked meals that he could reheat whenever he got too busy to grab some food.

Even after college, they still remained to be each other's closest confidante and greatest supporter. Hyun Bin was there during the opening of the restaurant Ye Jin first worked at as an assistant chef, while Ye Jin was there to help him shop for his attire when he first applied for a job as a real estate agent.

15 years later, Ye Jin is now the head chef of a luxury restaurant while Hyun Bin was recently promoted to lead an overseas project. Both equally successful in their careers, their friendship grew even stronger after having went through the multiple ups and downs that challenged them in their younger years.

About an hour later, the ceremony concluded and all the guests were ushered into the reception area. Hyun Bin took a seat beside Ye Jin, who was enjoying her champagne by herself as she watched the other guests lose their sanities on the dance floor.

"You'll get drunk before everyone else if you don't pace yourself.", he reminded her.

"I might as well get drunk before people ask me questions on when I'm going to marry.", she retorted. Now that she had surpassed her 20s, Ye Jin has been increasingly bothered when asked about marriage.

Not that it was a sensitive topic to her, she just didn't seem to understand why people found it so important these days. From her family, to her colleagues, and down to even some of their friends, marriage was a constant topic that she just couldn't avoid and absolutely dreaded.

"That's okay. Su Jin's still unmarried, too. We can share the burden altogether until the strongest one remains.", he muttered as he took the champagne from her hand and placed it down the table.

Ye Jin laughed softly. Hyun Bin shared the same views. With how his career is going, his chances on getting hitched anytime soon were maybe slimmer than hers.

All of a sudden, a pair of arms encircled Ye Jin from behind. "Ye Jin-ah! Forgive me, please.", Ji Hye pleaded.

"Forget it. I was seriously thinking about which restaurants to treat you in, and now you're going to leave me to roam around a foreign country all by myself?", Ye Jin said without looking behind her.

"Why? What happened?" Hyun Bin asked as he saw Ji Hye looking so sorry at Ye Jin.

"She can't come with Ye Jin to Italy.", Su Jin answered as she took the other seat beside Ye Jin while the newlyweds, Jin Ah and Jin woo, took the seats in front of them.

Ye Jin was tasked to go to Italy for a week. As the new head chef, it was part of her job to amp up their restaurant's fine dining by creating new recipes and fusing the different flavors of food around the world into the Korean cuisine. With her love for wine and Italian dishes, she chose Siena and Sicily for her work trip. Her boss was even generous enough to give her a free ticket and bring a companion of her choosing, so she decided to invite Ji Hye.

"All of a sudden?" Hyun Bin asked.

"Yes. All of a sudden.", Ye Jin said in mock anger.

"Joo Won's business trip was going to finish earlier than planned and he asked me to come visit his mom in Jeongdo.", Ji Hye explained.

"But you're leaving in 2 days, right? Can you go to Italy by yourself?", Jin Woo asked.

"I don't know. I'll just find my way around. It shouldn't be that hard.", Ye Jin mumbled, unable to hide her anxiety.

"Or you can look for somebody else to come with you...", Su Jin suggested.

Ye Jin looked at her friends one by one upon hearing the brilliant idea. Ji Hye already bailed. Her eyes went to Su Jin.

"Not me, though. There's no way my boss is going to grant me a week-long leave in such a short notice.", she said bitterly as she drank her champagne.

The next were the newlyweds.

"You know we can't really cancel our honeymoon to keep you company in Italy, sweetheart.", Jin Ah softly said.

The last was Hyun Bin. As soon as their eyes met, Hyun Bin wiggled his eyebrows up and down at her, humoring the rest of their friends.

"What are you thinking?", Ye Jin asked, trying not to smile.

"You know all you have to do is ask.", he teased.

Ye Jin sneered, "You think I'd ask you to come to Italy with me?"

"Why?", he dared. "Are you scared that you'll finally fall in love with me in a foreign country?"

The girls around the table were already laughing hysterically while Jin Woo rubbed his forehead in amusement. Be careful what you wish for, he thought.

"Not if I seduce you first.", Ye Jin fired back as she took a sip of her champagne with her eyes lingering on his.

Just when she thought her retort would put him off, Hyun Bin declared, "I can say this for sure. With you, it will only take me half a day."

The group of friends spent the rest of the night recalling memories, making jokes, and sharing laughter. Once everyone was ready to call it a night, they proceeded to walk back to their hotel rooms. Hyun Bin was about to scan his keycard when Ye Jin called him, "Bin?"

He turned around upon hearing his name and slightly raised his eyebrows, indicating that he's all ears.

"Were you serious about what you said earlier?"

Hyun Bin smiled. "About Italy?"

Ye Jin nodded.

"Of course. How could I say no to a free trip?"

Ye Jin hesitated. She knew Hyun Bin and completely trusted him. She was certain that they would have a good time since they get along very well and shared the same interests. But is it okay for two friends to go on a vacation with just the two of them?

Hyun Bin watched her contemplate for a bit, "You know you can just tell me if you're uncomfortable with it. I understand it can be a bit awkward, but I won't push it.", he reassured her.

"No, that's not what I meant", Ye Jin said immediately. What was there to worry about? This was Hyun Bin. She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"I'll send the ticket to your email. Be sure to be in the airport by 7pm.", she said as she pointed a finger at him.

Hyun Bin let out a dimpled smile, "I won't be late this time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! This is only gonna be a 10-chapter story so I decided not to go for a *too* complicated plot.
> 
> It's my first attempt on a fanfic so please bear with me. I'm also on Wattpad so you can look for me there <3
> 
> I'd love to hear your comments and suggestions to improve my writing sooo please let me know your thoughts! Thank you 😊


	2. The Castello

Hyun Bin was busy scanning his phone while waiting for Ye Jin at the Incheon terminal. They were bound to board a 12-hr flight to Rome before taking 2 train rides to reach Siena, the first of two cities that Ye Jin was planning to visit.

It was quarter to 7 when the lady devil arrived with her luggage in tow. "I'm glad to see you're on time.", she greeted with a bright smile.

"Of course. I have to stay on your good side until I get to Italy.", he said as he gave Ye Jin a friendly hug and lifted her suitcase onto the trolley.

After checking in, the pair sat by the lounge while waiting to board their flight.

"What are your plans, Jinnie?", Hyun Bin asked, still calling her in her childhood nickname even after all these years. He knew she was going to Italy primarily for work, so he wanted to know her schedule before planning on something to do during his own time.

"Well, by the time we arrive in Siena, it should be around 8 am. Then it's going to take us another hour to find the hotel I booked in, maybe another hour to settle in–"

"No, not that.", he halted her as she pondered. Hyun Bin was well aware of how obsessed she was with planning and they just might spend the entire flight discussing their schedule if it were up to her. 

"I wanted to ask what days are you going to be free? Are you going to work for the entire trip?

Ye Jin shook her head. "Not really. First, we're going to do 3 days in Siena. I don't have anything to do on the first day, but I made reservations to visit 2 wineries on the following days."

Hyun Bin nodded as he made a quick mental note of her schedule.

"Then on Wednesday night, we're going to catch a flight from Siena to Sicily. We'll stay there for 4 days but I don't have specific plans yet. I'm thinking of just going around to try the different local foods, maybe buy a few things."

"Sounds good. I was looking up Siena a while ago and I'm eyeing some places to visit while you do your thing.", he shared.

"That's nice. I was worried about taking you with me to the wineries. You'll get so bored with that, I'm sure."

...

The flight to Rome went by quickly as Hyun Bin and Ye Jin sat in business class. By the time they reached the Siena train station, it was nearly 8 in the morning, just as Ye Jin predicted. Fortunately, they were easily able to hail a cab that took them to their booked hotel at a quiet hilltop, the Castello Delle Quattro Torra.

Fortunately, they were easily able to hail a cab that took them to their booked hotel at a quiet hilltop, the Castello Delle Quattro Torra  
Upon their arrival, Hyun Bin lost his breath as he took in the beautiful scenery that laid before him. The vast lawns extended beyond what his eyes could reach and in the very middle of it erected a 14th century castle that almost looked fictional, as if it was directly lifted from a medieval art piece.

As soon as they entered the lobby, they were immediately welcomed by the charming middle-aged man seated at the front desk.

"Buongiorno, signora e signore."

"Buongiorno!", Ye Jin attempted to greet him back in his language before switching in English. "I'm from Korea. I booked a room for two.", she said as she held up two fingers.

"May I ask for your name, please?"

"Ye Jin Son", she replied.

"For a moment.", he said as he checked his computer for a reservation made from Seoul. "A double room booked 2 weeks ago?"

"Yes.", Ye Jin affirmed.

"Please allow me to borrow your identification card and fill up this form before I give you your keys.", he said as he handed her a clipboard.

After filling up the forms, Nicola, the front desk staff, gave Ye Jin two keys and helped them bring their suitcases up to their suite.

Ye Jin and Hyun Bin were in awe of how rustic and serene the room looked. It was nowhere near your typical luxury hotel room. Theirs was mainly made of wood and brick, with most of the light coming from the windows facing east. The furniture was also kept to a minimum, which made the room look more spacious and breathable. All they had was a 2-seater dining set, 2 chest cabinets, and a Lawson couch.

Hyun Bin took a few steps further to peek through the windows, and he was taken aback by the overlooking view of Siena. It was his first time in Europe and it was even better than he expected.

Behind him, Ye Jin snapped back to reality and only then did she notice the king-sized bed in the middle of the room. There was only one other door inside and it led to the bathroom. Checking the tags of the 2 keys in her hand, both had the same room number printed on them: B22.

"Ya, Bin-ah", she called.

"Oh?", Hyun Bin answered, still looking out the window.

"I'm going down, I think we got the wrong room.", she informed before quickly leaving the room, not bothering to wait for his response.

"Nicola?", Ye Jin called out when she reached the lobby. "I'm sorry but I think you gave us keys to the wrong room."

"Let me check.", he said as he went through his computer. "No, signora. You booked for a double room."

"Yes, but we only have one bed."

"We only provide one king-sized bed for all double rooms, signora.", Nicola explained with a smile.

Ye Jin's eyes widened, "but I thought it was for two people?"

"Yes. One bed big enough for two people."

Ye Jin's mouth was left hanging for a while. What do I do? "Can I get another room?"

"I'm sorry but all other rooms are booked.", Nicola apologized.

"Then can I get another bed, instead?", Ye Jin asked

" We don't have extra beds at the moment, signora. I'm very sorry."

Ye Jin's left hand unconsciously went up to her mouth. Looking for another hotel wasn't going to solve their problem. The Castello was one of the few accommodations away from the city center, if it was fully booked here then it would surely be the same in the other hotels.

F*ck me, she thought. Here they were, in a foreign (and romantic) country more than 5,000 miles away from home, and they were about to share the same room?

She had to drag her feet back up and as she thought, Hyun Bin was still looking out the window, memorizing every detail that he could commit to memory. He was so occupied that he didn't even hear the door open and notice Ye Jin walk in.

She sat by the edge of the bed and took a deep breath before calling him, "Bin-ah"

He finally turned around, "Yeah? What was it again? Why did you go down?"

"I made a mistake", Ye Jin said as she rubbed her face in exasperation. "I thought a double room meant two beds for two people, turns out it was only one bed good for two people."

She waited for him to say something but his expression remained the same, so she continued, "I tried to ask if we could get another room but all rooms were booked. They didn't have spare beds, either."

Hyun Bin nodded mindlessly, "So... we're going to sleep on the same bed?"

"Well... we have a couch", she said as her eyes went to the sofa by the door.

Hyun Bin tilted his head and carefully asked, "Are you okay with sleeping on the couch?"

Ye Jin was about to nod when she finally understood his question and glared at Hyun Bin, causing him to chuckle.

"I'm kidding. Of course, I'll take the couch", he said with a soft smile

"I'm really sorry, Bin", she apologized. "It's only for two nights then we'll stay in a different hotel when we transfer to Sicily."

"It's alright. I wouldn't even be able to notice where I'm sleeping with how good this place looks", he tried to comfort her with a smile. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

...

The two of them took their time to unpack what they needed for their 3-day stay before heading down to the outdoor dining by the west side of the castle for brunch.

One by one, the in-house waitress served them brewed coffee, orange juice, calzone, eggs, cheese, fettuccine for Ye Jin, and ravioli for Hyun Bin.

"Wow", was all that the two could say as they stared at the feast in front of them.

This was definitely a different type of brunch compared to what they usually had back home. Meat, rice, and banchan were the staples of a Korean meal, so it was nice to have freshly-baked Italian pastry and pasta for a change.

"Ya, better remind me to thank Ji Hye for bailing out on you.", Hyun Bin said as he started digging into his food.

And better not tell them a word about sharing a room with me, she thought.

"I should thank you though", Ye Jin uttered appreciatively. "I'm not sure whether I'll enjoy this trip if I went on my own."

"I highly doubt you'll be faced with problems even if you went alone.", he said with certainty. "You're the most organized person I know. I'm sure you already have contingency plans for each schedule you made."

"That's right", she chuckled. He knew her well. "But I certainly wouldn't enjoy going around by myself.", she admitted.

Hyun Bin smiled. In the exterior, Ye Jin looked every bit the independent and headstrong woman she was. There was absolutely nothing she couldn't handle as long as she put her mind into it, but he knew her better. Not because she looked strong, didn't mean that she never had insecurities.

Since their teenage years, Ye Jin would experience sudden bouts of loneliness and feelings of doubt. Her happy and bubbly façade was perfected to bits but all it took was one look in her eyes and Hyun Bin would be able to tell. She rarely admits it whenever it happens, so he never wasted an opportunity to boost her self-esteem in the few times she confided in him.

"With that said, you can't dump me for the next 7 days, okay?", he teased. "I will seriously report you to the embassy if you do that. I'll make sure you won't be able to find your ass anywhere near Italy next time."

"As if you'll let me leave without you.", Ye Jin laughed. "But it's a good thing you went with me, right? This might be your last trip before you leave.", she said with a dip in her mood.

With Hyun Bin's recent promotion, he was scheduled to leave for Manhattan where he will be working with a new team for a year and a half. He was initially apprehensive of accepting the proposal since he was already stable with his current job but career-wise, it was a no-brainer.

"Don't remind me about it.", he said as he leaned back on his seat. "I still have a month left by the time we get back."

"Are you really going?"

Hyun Bin thought for a bit before nodding his head, "I don't have a reason not to."

"Does your mom know?", Ye Jin carefully asked.

"Of course. She looks at me every single day like she's about to cry since I told her."

"Not imo", Ye Jin chuckled, "Your mom."

Hyun Bin sighed. He was a straight-forward person. He was the type to lay out all his cards and let people decide whether to take it or leave it. 'What you see is what you get', was the kind of guy he was. However, this was the one topic he always tried to evade. He just didn't see the point of finding his true father or reconnecting with his mother. He was already in his 30s for crying out loud. If there was ever a chance to do that, then it has long since passed.

He nodded his head, "I think Eomonim told her."

"Are you planning to see her?", Ye Jin continued to ask.

"I don't see the point of doing that.", Hyun Bin confessed as he stared blankly on his plate.

"You're going to have to forgive her someday, Bin", Ye Jin muttered. "Do it for your peace of mind."

Throughout his life, Hyun Bin never questioned anything that happened to him. He had his Eomonim and he was more than content with that. She loved and cared for him like a real mother would and even though he had to endure strange looks from people in the past, like during family days in school or even graduation ceremonies, he chose to ignore them because he knew how lucky he was with aunt Ae Ri.

And that's why reconciling with his mother was something he found hard to consider. For more than 30 years, she never made an attempt to meet him once. She would make a few calls to Ae Ri every year but that was it, until those calls were eventually reduced to short messages after she married and had her own family in the States. He couldn't keep himself from holding a grudge against his birth parents for what they did, but it was just pointless for him to reconnect with them when they had clearly lived their lives separately.

Ye Jin looked at him and she felt a twist in her heart. His mother didn't have the slightest idea of what she missed. Hyun Bin was the kindest person she's ever met in her life and she never understood how one could be so selfless and understanding. He didn't have much, but his loving Eomonim always provided him with what he needed and they would make the most out of it.

She witnessed how he saved his allowances as a student to help Ae Ri with the bills and how he took extreme care of his belongings so they wouldn't need to make unplanned purchases. There were even times when she would sneak in a few thousand won in his bag because he always kept himself from spending money, even with food, which was also why she frequently brought him homecooked meals back in college.

Despite that, Ye Jin didn't have a single memory of him complaining or demanding for more. Hyun Bin was simply content with what he had and lived with it. So seeing him now, doing well and living well is like a dream come true. She knew how he struggled and was there for him through most of it.

She just hoped that he would be able to get through this one grievance that he always seemed to keep at the back of his mind, and find it in his heart to forgive his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys! I was a bit inspired by the vibe of the movie Letters to Juliet and that's what pushed me to come up with this story because Italy is just so romantic. I've never been there so there might be some inaccuracies like the flight time and the distances between each place, but all of the locations that I'll be using for this story are real 😊 (including the Castello hotel, which is sooo beautiful)
> 
> The relationship between the characters would start progressing in the next chapters so I wanted to write more about their backgrounds and the history of their friendship, just to give everyone a gist of how deeply they already knew each other through the years.
> 
> Again, I would love to hear from you guys so don't hesitate on giving me feedbacks. Thank you!


	3. The Necklace

After having their brunch, Hyun Bin and Ye Jin decided to leave the hotel for a bit to tour around the city while Ye Jin was still free from work. Nicola suggested Piazza Del Campo, which was one of the main tourist attractions in Siena.

Several makeshift stalls littered in the area with vendors selling flowers, fruits, street food, and all other types of Italian goods  
Several makeshift stalls littered in the area with vendors selling flowers, fruits, street food, and all other types of Italian goods. Ye Jin and Hyun Bin were slowly walking around when she caught sight of one stall that had different kinds of herbs and spices in wooden crates.

Hyun Bin followed her patiently with his hands clasped behind his back. She was in her element, picking up different leaves and bringing them up to her nose. He knew that he wouldn't be able to pry Ye Jin away from those spices anytime soon so he told her that he would go around for a bit then meet her at the exact same spot.

He was looking at the other stores in the plaza when an old man tapped his shoulder then offered him a board and a piece of chalk. "Can you help me?", he struggled in English.

Hyun Bin stared at him, still confused.

"I'm selling accessories. Can you write that for me?", he said before pointing to a restaurant across the street that displayed an English menu written on a chalkboard.

Hyun Bin finally understood what he was asking for and took the chalk from his hand. He's been taking English classes since he accepted his promotion and found it easy to write on the board: 'Accessories for sale'.

"Here you go.", he said as he finished.

"Thank you! Thank you!" the old man beamed before beckoning Hyun Bin to follow him into his store.

When they got in, Hyun Bin was astonished with the many products he had. 'Accessories' was an understatement. He had several trinkets, miniature figurines, vintage ornaments, and what looked like handmade necklaces.

"Pick one", the old man said as he tapped on his chest with a tender smile. "My gift"

Hyun Bin smiled in return and looked around. Maybe he could find one that his Eomonim would love. He was busy going through one of the shelves with antique clocks when a certain necklace caught his eye.

It was a terrarium necklace with a tiny pink peony enclosed in glass. His hands immediately went to it as his thoughts drifted to a clear distant memory.

His hands immediately went to it as his thoughts drifted to a clear distant memory  
...

He was in his 3rd year of high school but that day wasn't like any other day. It was White Day, the occasion that all girls would impatiently wait for every year. Everyone came to school looking their best. Boys had shy looks on their faces while a lot of girls were restless in anticipation.

Contrary to most of his male classmates, Hyun Bin wasn't even excited at the very least. He just wasn't into any of the girls in his school and even though he would receive mountains of chocolates every Valentine's, not once did he bother to buy treats to give on White day.

While he was seated on his chair and waited for the class to start, Ye Jin came in with her hands full. She had chocolates, candies, and flowers that she could barely carry and he had to stifle his laughter as he watched her struggle in placing all her gifts on the desk before taking a seat.

The two of them weren't oblivious to the jealous and bitter stares being shot in their way. Ye Jin and Hyun Bin were both the prettiest and most popular in their high school, but neither seemed to be interested in dating.

Just when he was about to tease her, Sam Sik, the captain of the school's football team entered the room with a bouquet of white roses.

Ye Jin held her breath as her eyes went to the boy, who had big doe eyes and high cheekbones. Sam Sik has been courting her for over a month now. She wasn't attracted to him at first, but he was nice to her and even a bit protective. Just last week, he convinced her to parade with him as his muse during the opening of their sports week. They looked good together and they were the only thing the entire campus talked about the next day.

Her hands got clammy when he approached, mentally preparing herself on what to say. She was about to rise from her seat when he bypassed her and went straight to the girl seated behind her, Jang Mi, who used to be Ye Jin's friend until she found out that she was the one responsible for spreading lies about her.

Hyun Bin saw the entire thing unfold, including when Ye Jin immediately casted her eyes away from them and kept her head down. He could see tears pooling in her eyes but he kept his hands to himself. She wouldn't appreciate any kind of consoling in front of other people.

Ye Jin had a foul mood for the rest of that day. She went home with her hands full of gifts, but all she could feel was pain and betrayal. She was used again... and she failed to see it coming. She was lying down on her bed with endless tears flowing when her mother called from downstairs.

"Sweetheart! Bin is here!"

She jumped out of the bed and hurriedly wiped her face dry. Why would he come at this hour? It was past 8 pm on a school night. After taking one last look in the mirror, she made her way down and went for the door in quick steps, trying to keep her mom from seeing her face.

Upon opening the gate, Ye Jin saw Hyun Bin shuffling between one foot to another, with both hands behind his back.

"What are you doing here?", she slowly asked.

Hyun Bin looked up and even in the dark, Ye Jin was positive that he was blushing with how red his ears were.

"Ah, I– just", he stammered as he tried to avoid her inquisitive eyes. He's visited their house before, but never unprecedentedly. And certainly not this late at night.

He took a deep breath. This is Ye Jin, he reminded himself.

"I wanted to give this to you", he said as he held out his left hand, revealing a bouquet of pink peonies.

Ye Jin was surprised upon seeing her favorite flowers and her heart skipped a beat. She could feel tears rush back into her eyes and quickly avoided his stare.

Hyun Bin took that time to explain, "I saw how you looked earlier today". Recalling what happened, he felt a tinge of annoyance seep back into to his veins, "Why do you even care about him? I thought you didn't like him?", he chastised.

With his words, Ye Jin's tears fell, making him scratch his head with his free hand and regret what he said.

He waited a few moments before muttering in a much gentler tone, "Don't cry... you don't even like roses"

Ye Jin wiped the tears off her face and looked at Hyun Bin. He seemed shy but his eyes were sincere. "Thank you", she whispered as she took her peonies.

"Stop crying, okay?", he said, watching as she took a sniff of her flowers.

"I won't cry anymore", she reassured him with a smile.

Hyun Bin took a deep breath and briefly looked away. There's that smile. Positive that she felt better, he faced her again to bid his goodbye. "Well, if you're okay now, then I should get going. Eomonim's waiting for me."

Ye Jin nodded, "Okay"

As he took his first step away from their house, Ye Jin called him back.

"Bin?", He turned to look at her.

"You remembered", she murmured.

She remembered a time when they were walking back from school and saw a bunch of roses before mindlessly telling him that she preferred peonies. 'You can find roses anywhere', was the short explanation she gave him.

"Of course", he answered before heading home.

She didn't have to know how he rushed out of campus after 3 hours of training with their school's swimming team, or how he ran for a good 10 minutes just to make it to the only flower shop in their neighborhood before it closed...

How she was the first girl he ever gifted on White day...

...and most specially how her expensive taste in flowers costed him a month's worth of savings.

He made her smile at the end of a bad day. That was all that mattered to him.

...

They've come a long way since then but peonies will always remind him of Ye Jin. The old Italian man took one look at him and he knew that Hyun Bin already made his choice. "Take it", he said.

Hyun Bin snapped out of his reverie and looked at him, "Are you sure?".

"Go. You look like you already have someone to give it to.", he said with a smile.

Hyun Bin walked back to the center of the plaza where he left Ye Jin. As he predicted, she was still there but she was looking into a fruit cart this time. He tapped her shoulder, "Did you buy anything?", he asked.

Ye Jin was surprised at first but calmed instantly upon seeing him, "No, but I had so many free tastes of everything that my tongue is starting to lose sense of taste."

Hyun Bin laughed. "I saw a restaurant when I was walking around. Let's replenish those taste buds, shall we?"

The two of them walked for another half hour after dinner and by the time they got back to the hotel, it was already dark. Returning to their room, Hyun Bin showered while Ye Jin did some last-minute checks on her schedule tomorrow.

Hyun Bin was rubbing his hair mercilessly when he got out of the bathroom, strutting in dark blue pajamas.

"I'm going to leave after breakfast tomorrow, Bin", Ye Jin informed him.

"Okay", he said with a slight nod.

"Have you made any plans yet?", she inquired while adjusting her glasses that was starting to weigh on the bridge of her nose.

"Not really, but I'm sure there are many places to go to.", he said calmly.

Ye Jin shook her head. This was where they were completely different. "Do you want to come with me?", she offered.

Hyun Bin turned to her with a naughty smirk, "You really can't stand a single day without me, huh?"

This man. Really. "I'm just worried you'll lose your way around here."

"You can look for me then.", he said, provoking her even more.

"You know what, you're big enough already", Ye Jin raised her hands in defeat. "Just let me know where you're going.", she said before closing her laptop and got ready for bed.

Hyun Bin snickered. He hesitated for a bit before going through the pants he wore for the day and sat at the edge of the bed. "For you.", he said as he handed her a small box.

Ye Jin looked at him suspiciously. What is it this time? Curiosity got the best of her and she reached forward to take it. Opening it, she saw the necklace and her mouth hung open. "Where did you get this?", she asked while holding it up in admiration.

"Somewhere around the plaza.", Hyun Bin shrugged as he walked towards the couch where he'll be sleeping for the night.

Ye Jin put down her hand to her lap and didn't bother hiding the smile that creeped into her face. "You didn't have to.", she muttered shyly.

Hyun Bin chuckled. She rarely spoke in that voice. She loves it then.

Ye Jin watched him as he tried to get comfortable on the couch. It was a long couch, but not for a 6-foot-tall man like him to sleep in. He kept twisting and turning and it made her feel bad.

"Bin-ah"

"Hm?"

"Come here", she said as she tapped the space next to her. "Your back is going to hurt in the morning. Just sleep here."

Hyun Bin raised his head to look at her. "Are you okay with that?"

"Of course. This bed is too big for me, anyway."

Hyun Bin took a deep breath and carefully made his way to the left side of the bed. Ye Jin was right. He was able to verify how uncomfortable the couch was from the moment he laid down on the soft mattress. His back would feel like a stiff rod if he slept there.

Ye Jin pulled the covers up to her shoulders. This is awkward, she thought. The bed that she thought to be so big was now feeling a bit too small. He takes up so much space. How would she be able to sleep in this setup when she can't even let out the breath she didn't know she was holding.

Unbeknownst to her, Hyun Bin felt the same. She was so close to him that his body strangely went on full alert.

"If you touch me, I'll scream.", he whispered, earning him a sharp smack on the chest.

Ye Jin felt all her blood rush into her chest but thanks to his remark, she was able to relax and before knowing it, was lost in a deep slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Just to share, that instance with the old man asking Hyun Bin to write in English for him was inspired by a real story. My grandma went to Rome last 2019 and a local went up to her to ask if she could write in English for him. The man was making jewelry and he gave my grandma two pendants, one she has with her and one is with me.
> 
> Thank you again for reading this story 😊 I hope it's not too dragging, I promise, the relationship between them would be taking a step further after this.


	4. Taking the risk

The sharp rays of sunlight wielded Ye Jin's eyes open. If there was one thing she missed on this trip, it was definitely her blackout curtains back home. She was trying to stretch her body awake when she felt a heavy limb weighing on both of her legs. She looked at the man to her left and immediately regretted doing so, as it took everything in her to prevent herself from toppling over in laughter.

Hyun Bin was still in a deep sleep, with his hair disheveled and his mouth hanging open. He was taking up more than half of the bed with his arms and legs spread-eagled, looking like he was ready to offer his body and soul to some deity up above.

Not willing to let this moment pass without a remembrance, Ye Jin reached for her phone and took selcas with Hyun Bin laying beside her. She's been collecting pictures of Hyun Bin asleep since college, which wasn't hard to do because he was a heavy sleeper and could drift off anywhere. Once satisfied, she got down from the bed and tiptoed her way into the bathroom.

When Ye Jin stepped out of the shower, Hyun Bin was already awake and absent-mindedly staring at the ceiling.

"I thought you were never going to wake up.", she mumbled.

He rubbed his eyes before swinging his legs out of the bed. She so pretty, he thought as he saw Ye Jin in her floral dress. Her skin looked far radiant under the European sun and she had a bundled towel on her head, making her appear more delicate than usual.

"Have you decided where to go, yet?", she asked him before facing the full-body mirror and plugging the hairdryer she brought.

He shook his head, "Not yet."

Ye Jin sighed. "Just make sure you won't spend the rest of the day here, okay?", she bleated.

Hyun Bin was about to make his way into the bathroom when he stopped on his tracks and scratched his head, "Can I just come with you?"

Ye Jin turned off the hairdryer and looked at him through the mirror, "Are you sure? There's nothing much to see in the wineries."

"I can't think of anything else to do, really.", he shrugged.

"I thought you were eyeing some places to go to?"

Hyun Bin's ears turned red.

"Eh", he whined. "I don't want to go there alone. Just drag me with you", he said as he waved his hand, indicating that he didn't want to bother making his own plans.

Ye Jin was about to question him further but Hyun Bin had already shut the bathroom door before she even got a word out. How is he going to manage on his own in Manhattan?

...

It took them an hour to reach the Azienda Agricola La Lastra  
It took them an hour to reach the Azienda Agricola La Lastra. By the entrance stood a smartly-dressed woman, who seemed to recognize Ye Jin as soon as they stepped out of the cab.

"Signora!", she called.

Ye Jin tugged at Hyun Bin's sleeve and walked towards the lady. Giana, he read from her nametag. She shook both of their hands before guiding them inside the old brick house transformed into a huge wine cellar. 

Ye Jin seemed to forget Hyun Bin's presence as she was soon immersed in a conversation with Giana about the seasonal life of the vines, harvesting, fermentation, barrel aging and bottling. Hyun Bin didn't seem to mind, though. He didn't understand what they were talking about anyway so he just mindlessly followed the two ladies in front of him as he looked around.

When Giana took them down the basement, Ye Jin and Hyun Bin were amazed with the number of oak barrels they had. There were easily about a hundred in there and all of it had stamps, indicating the date they were produced. Giana handed them each a wine glass and had one of their staff open a barrel that was aged for 7 years.

Giana handed them each a wine glass and had one of their staff open a barrel that was aged for 7 years  
Ye Jin swirled her glass and got a whiff. She closed her eyes as the aroma flooded her senses before it doubled in size after taking a small sip. She was so out of words but her expression was enough to make Giana laugh. Hyun Bin also took a taste and pursed his lips afterwards. He wasn't a big fan of alcohol but he was still able to tell that their wine certainly tasted different from the rest he had.

From then on, Giana had several other barrels opened. Just half an hour later, she was gesturing to pour what would already be their 10th glass of wine.

"What do you think?", Ye Jin asked Hyun Bin as they tasted a 5-year-old sangiovese

"I have to be honest with you", he said with a slight shake of his head. "I've tasted so many of it in the last 30 minutes that I can hardly tell the difference anymore." Hyun Bin confessed as he trailed behind. His head was already starting to spin and he decided that it was better to step away from them before he got tipsy.

Ye Jin wasn't able to hold back her laughter. She was reminded of the times when back in college, Hyun Bin was the last person she would go to whenever she needed someone to critic her dishes. Despite his stark honesty, Hyun Bin just didn't have a picky palate. For him, food just tasted either good or bad, and Ye Jin has never made a bad dish.

Giana was talking about how some of their clients would reserve for wine barrels at least 3 years ahead when Ye Jin's focus shifted on Hyun Bin, who had one hand inside his pocket while the other unconsciously kept swirling his wine glass.

He was unusually handsome today. Don't get her wrong, she always found Hyun Bin attractive. He was tall, with deep eyes, sharp nose, full lips, and a well-defined jawline. He also had broad shoulders, slim fingers, and long legs. He never had an ugly-duckling phase and always looked good in anything he wore, but there was just something different today.

Is it because the lights are a lot dimmer down here in the basement?

Is it because he's wearing a white button down shirt? Which in her opinion, was what he looked best in?

Is it because he's here, patiently waiting for her while she's busy doing her own thing?

Giana noticed that she lost her client's attention when she saw how Ye Jin stared at Hyun Bin. She couldn't help but feel envious of the soft eyes Hyun Bin had on the beautiful girl while quietly and patiently trailing behind them. She's been married for 5 years and her own husband has never even set foot in her workplace.

She nudged Ye Jin lightly, "It's so sweet of your husband to come with you here."

Ye Jin snapped out of her thoughts when she heard what Giana said and immediately clarified, "No, we're not married."

"Oh, you work together?", she asked.

"No, he's a long-time friend.", Ye Jin explained.

Giana smiled knowingly. Good for her to have a guy friend who'd take the time to fly halfway around the world just to tag along on a work trip.

...

Hyun Bin and Ye Jin spent the rest of the day learning more about wine aging and going through the vineyards that surrounded the brick house. At around 4pm, Ye Jin called it a day and booked for a cab back to their hotel.

The sun was already setting when they returned to their hotel. The pair decided to grab an early dinner before Ye Jin quickly went up to their room and change into flat shoes since her heels were starting to numb her feet. Hyun Bin headed straight to the outdoor dining area and ordered food for the two of the them.

When Ye Jin got down, her face was already devoid of makeup, her hair up in a bun, and she had taken off all her accessories except for the necklace he gave her the night before.

"What did you order?", she asked.

"Pizza margherita, ziti for two, and panna cotta. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, sounds good.", she said before her eyes went to the bottle of wine placed by the edge of the table. 

"Thank you for coming with me today.", she thanked him sincerely.

"Did I behave well?", Hyun Bin teased.

"You certainly did.", she said as she bit her lip, remembering what Giana assumed them to be. We do look like a married couple. They were definitely of age and she would always be the first to admit that they looked good together.

"So, have you finally come up with something to do tomorrow?", she asked in an attempt to distract herself from her thoughts.

Hyun Bin shook his head as he poured each of their glasses with wine. "Nope."

Ye Jin tilted her head to the side as she stared at him. "I'll help you.", she said as she whipped her phone out when Hyun Bin grabbed it all of a sudden.

"There's no need to do that.", he said as he placed her phone face down on the table.

"Come on", Ye Jin chided. "It'll be our last day here in Siena tomorrow. Go have some fun.", she encouraged him and took her phone back.

"I want to go with you. I like seeing you work.", Hyun Bin told her as he rested his chin on his hand.

Ye Jin couldn't keep the blush from her face and Hyun Bin immediately followed suit when he realized what his words implied. The two of them remained in comfortable silence and decided that it was still early to call it a night after having finished their dinner in record speed.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Hyun Bin asked.

"Let's go", she agreed and they strolled through the lawn without going too far from the hotel. It was already dark and the only source of light were the small lamps mounted on the brick walls of the castle.

They were walking slowly when they reached the spot that had the clearest view overlooking the city. Ye Jin sat on the grass with her knees up and motioned Hyun Bin to follow suit.

"Are you cold?", he asked.

Ye Jin shook her head. The amount of wine they had was starting to accumulate and she was feeling a little tipsy.

"Giana thought we were married.", she whispered in amusement.

Hyun Bin smiled. That wasn't the first time people mistook them for a couple. It's happened countless times since high school and he got so used to it already.

"We're that old? Before, people just used to think we were dating but now we could already pass for a married couple.", he gushed as he shook his head a bit.

"You wanna do a marriage pact?", Ye Jin snickered, obviously a bit drunk.

"I'm down if you are. I'll marry you in a heartbeat.", Hyun Bin answered with a serious tone, keeping his eyes on the view in front of him.

Ye Jin held her breath. What is he trying to do?

To some extent, she was already used to this friendly flirting with him. The two of them knew each other well and she didn't see any harm in doing it. But in the recent years, their teasing started to mean something more.

It's been a while since the two of them had been in a relationship. They were just extremely focused in their careers and for some reason, it had only brought them closer. 

They had each other to lean on whenever they felt lonely, which resulted to frequent lunches and dinners, trips to the golf course and movie theaters, and even bringing one another as their 'default dates' during parties and work events. 

Their circle didn't fail to notice that but they would usually shrug them off, up until their flirting started to bear hints of honesty and small confessions were sometimes made unconsciously.

"Do you think things would work well if we ever got together?", she asked him pensively.

"There's no way for me to know that", he trailed off, deep in thought before continuing on an even lower tone, "but I would have certainly tried my best to make it work."

"Why do you make it sound like I'm the hard one to be with?", Ye Jin complained with mock irritation.

"That's not what I meant", he said with a little laugh. "I would have done everything I could to make it work because I couldn't afford to lose you."

Ye Jin took the time to let his words sink in. "Me, too", she confessed. 

Hyun Bin flashed her a soft-hearted smile before shifting his eyes back to the view.

"Then how come you never courted me back then?", Ye Jin was on a roll. She would ask him everything that she wanted to ask while she still had the confidence and the chance to do so.

Hyun Bin let out a loud laugh this time. "Let me throw that back. Why have you never courted me?", he asked.

Ye Jin didn't let herself fall into his trap. "I mean, come on. Let's face it. You always liked me.", she dared while pointing her finger at him. She always felt that and there was no way he could deny it.

He nodded, "That's true."

"So?"

Hyun Bin stared at Ye Jin's eyes before taking a deep breath.

"I was content with we had. I'm not a risk-taker, Jinnie, you know that. I rarely go out of my comfort zone and the moment I get a feeling that things might not end up the way I want, I'd take a step back."

Ye Jin nodded. That was true, too. The biggest risk Hyun Bin has ever taken in his life was accepting his promotion and his impending move to Manhattan.

"That's what I thought about us", he continued. "Things were going really well between us. We trusted each other with everything we felt, thought about, and worried about. We would tell each other things that we never even considered telling others. We remained in each other's lives even after a lot of people had come and gone."

He briefly looked down and clasped his hands together even tighter, "It may not be what I wanted.. but I'd much rather keep you with me for the rest of my life like this than have you in some other way and risk losing you someday."

He answered truthfully. Hyun Bin had thought about this before. Ye Jin was one of his constants in life and it was impossible not to ponder why things never took a step further between the two of them. 

He always found her beautiful. She was smart, courageous, and headstrong. There was nothing he didn't like about her and although he didn't know exactly when or how he started having strong feelings for her, it was clear to him that Ye Jin have always been special. 

He couldn't picture a life without her and even though his choice would mean having to forever be kept on the sidelines, he was simply content in having as much as Ye Jin could give. She was definitely someone that he was determined to keep in his life, regardless of what he was to her. He loved her that way.

Ye Jin leaned her head on Hyun Bin's shoulder. She knew he didn't have any worries in telling her what his heart contained. Their relationship was complicated as it was, but they have reached that stability where they would never turn their back on each other, no matter what the other said or did. And she certainly didn't have to, because she felt exactly the same way.

Hyun Bin always occupied a special place in her life. He was always there for her and always had his eyes on her. He would always be the first to notice a change in her mood, her style, or even her tone of voice. He would always reach out to her, especially during her worst days and the lowest points of her life.

All it took was one look in her eyes and she would never be able to lie from him. He simply knew her inside out and his genuine soul effortlessly marked its territory deep into her guarded heart. She has been in love with him long before she even recognized it.

She didn't want to lose him as much as he was scared of losing her, but she also didn't want to miss having this absolutely perfect man to be the love of her life throughout the rest of her days.

If they kept their relationship as it is, there was certainty that they would never lose each other, but there would also be that possibility of having their friendship reduced to something less. Just thinking about Hyun Bin finding another girl and getting married to someone else felt like a hard blow to her gut.

On the other hand, taking their relationship further definitely posed much bigger risks. Like Hyun Bin said, there was no way to know if it would ever work out. 

But when Ye Jin raised her head and looked at him, she could feel that her heart was home. She came to a conclusion that for this man, she would give it her all. She knew him for more than 15 years and he had earned her heart by baring her his own. Completely and unreservedly. It was her turn to that now. For him, she would bravely take that risk.

Ye Jin had made up her mind and gently held Hyun Bin's chin before turning his head for a kiss. He was taken aback for a split second but immediately returned the kiss once he got a hold of himself. It was just a soft and gentle kiss, just two lips trying to introduce itself to the other.

By the time they pulled apart, Hyun Bin was breathless and Ye Jin was euphoric. She stared at him as he opened his mouth several times, trying to find the right words to say, only to come up with none and close it again.

Ye Jin caressed his cheek tenderly. "I'm sorry if I took you by surprise. I thought I should make the first move because you'll never have the guts to do it.", she said, trying to look modest.

Hyun Bin bit his lip for a while before letting out a deep sigh. His ears were hot red and he pinched his nose, desperately trying to calm himself down.

Ye Jin started to feel anxious. She was watching him while he seemed to be deep in thought. Was that too much? she wondered. That couldn't be his first kiss, he's in his 30s for god's sake.. 

She was about to apologize when he looked up at her again, giving her his most charming smile before going for her lips, kissing her thoroughly this time.

His right hand went to her neck as his left circled around her waist. Ye Jin's hands became busy with his hair as she bit his lower lip, causing him to part his mouth open and plunged her tongue right in. 

He let her lead as his hands softly caressed the small of her back, drawing her even closer to him. When she ran out of breath, Hyun Bin took that chance to trail open mouth kisses along her jaw up to her ear before sucking and nipping at her earlobe.

Turning her face back to his, he kissed her again. He always wondered how this would feel like and would frequently keep himself from staring at her lips. He was scared that if he allowed himself to succumb to his desire, he wouldn't be able to turn things back. 

And now that Ye Jin had decided to take the leap for the two of them, he absolutely didn't have any will to stop.

Ye Jin tapped his chest lightly with the both of her hands before pulling away as she was starting to get light-headed from his sweet assault, "You're going to kill me."

Hyun Bin rested his forehead on hers, catching his breath before placing a tender kiss on her temple.

"I love you, Jinnie", he whispered against her skin. "I know I always have... and I certainly do. Even more so now."

"I know", she said as she stroked some of his hair away from his face. "I love you just as much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for reading this, guys! Hope you like it :)


	5. The Kids

Ye Jin stirred awake upon hearing several voices outside their room. She was going to lift a hand to rub her eyes when she found herself unable to move.

...

After sharing their first kiss last night, Hyun Bin and Ye Jin went back to the hotel hand-in-hand, with bashful smiles plastered on their faces. 

Nicola was clearing up the front desk, more than ready to end his shift when he saw the pair walk in and greeted them. Just one look at them and he could already tell. Whether they were two people who just got together or a long-term couple that finally made up, he could sense that they were much happier. Romantically happier. 

I bet you're happy to share the same bed now, signora?

Ye Jin went to wash up while Hyun Bin changed into his pajamas. He turned off the lights but left the bedside lamp on before lying down. 

When Ye Jin got out, Hyun Bin was leaning on the headboard and looked at her with a mischievous smile, seductively patting the space beside him.

"Don't get your hopes up.", she said with an amused smile as she made herself comfortable next to him.

Hyun Bin giggled. He was in no rush to heat things up physically. He knew he wanted to, but his heart was too happy to even entertain those thoughts. He adjusted himself further down the bed and turned to his side to hug Ye Jin, anchoring his leg on both of hers.

...

The two of them fell asleep faster than ever and that was how Hyun Bin ended up immobilizing her. 

His head was nuzzled on the crook of her neck where she could feel his soft snores against her skin, while his right arm was secured around her waist and his leg hitched on top of hers. 

Ye Jin on the other hand, was already think of ways to salvage her dead arm without waking him, but resigned when she couldn't come up with any.

Fortunately, her arm didn't have to suffer much longer when Hyun Bin was jolted awake by a sudden scream that came from right outside their door.

"What? Why? What's going on?", he asked in slight panic. His hair was so messy and his eyes were enlarged that Ye Jin couldn't hold back her laughter as she softly pulled Hyun Bin's head back down.

"Relax. I think there are new guests checking in.", she muttered before caressing his cheek.

A few moments later, Hyun Bin propped himself up on one elbow and gave her a swift kiss. "We're leaving Siena this afternoon?"

Ye Jin nodded.

"What time do we have to be in the vineyard today?", he asked

Ye Jin reached over for her phone and checked the time. "In two hours.", she slowly untangled herself from him and rose up.

Hyun Bin laid back down as he watched her stretch her limbs to full extent. The rays of sun that shone through the windows reflected perfectly against her skin.

She had crimson nose and puffy cheeks, with her silky hair enveloping her delicate face. So beautiful. 

Ye Jin noticed him staring, "I know. You got yourself a pretty girlfriend, you should thank me."

Hyun Bin was utterly dumbfounded.

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who confessed to me", he quipped. "Did I even say yes?"

Ye Jin's hand was quicker than lightning when she grabbed the nearest pillow within her reach and smacked it down on Hyun Bin's face.

...

It was already 9 in the morning when they finished breakfast and left for their next destination. Ye Jin was in a light blue, ankle-length dress and sneakers while Hyun Bin wore a black polo shirt on white pants, matching it with brown loafers. They were on their way to the Poggio Amorelli, which was one of the most famous wineries in Chianti.

Ye Jin was surprised when the cab stopped in the middle of a wide vineyard. The driver looked at his rearview mirror, waiting for them to hop down his cab as he had another customer to pick up after them.

"Are we supposed to go down here?", Ye Jin asked.

"Yes, signora. I can't go up there. Road is too steep.", he explained with a bit of urgency. It would take him 45 minutes to get back to the city and if he ran late, he would lose his next customer.

Ye Jin nodded, still confused as they got down and the cab sped off right after Hyun Bin closed the door.

"Well, looks like it's your lucky day", Hyun Bin muttered as he looked down at Ye Jin and pointed to her sneakers, "Thank god you wore those shoes."

It was scorching hot in the middle of the day when the couple hiked through the vineyards, up to the rustic house that sat at the top of the hill. Hyun Bin gripped Ye Jin's hand tightly as her other hand held her dress up to her knees. 

On their way, they were greeted by vintners, who were busy tending to the vines even under the torturous sun.

It took 20 minutes before they reached the house and by then, Hyun Bin and Ye Jin were parched. They were instantly greeted by the receptionist, Mateo, who offered them each a glass of water.

"Sorry about that. It seems that the two of you were warmly welcomed by the heat of Chianti.", he teased.

Ye Jin could only look back at him as she patted down her sweat.

"I'm Mateo. You must be Ye Jin Son?", he held out his hand

"Yes", she said and shook his hand before gesturing at Hyun Bin, "This is Hyun Bin Kim."

"Buongiorno, signore", Mateo greeted. "Well, you have the rest of the day until sundown to look around our la vigna so would you like to have your lunch first before we proceed to the tour?"

Mateo led them to the rooftop of the three-story house. It was an open terrace with sophisticated wooden dining and huge patio umbrellas. 

The couple sat next to each other and Ye Jin slipped her hand under the back of Hyun Bin's shirt, helping him wipe his sweat with a cool tissue while they waited for their lunch.

The menu for that day were pinzimonio and panzanella for appetizers, braciole and Stracotto al Chianti for main courses, and tiramisu for dessert. Topping that off was a 10-year-old cabernet sauvignon that the waitress brought in last.

"Just looking at all these makes me think of the hours I'll spend in the gym after this trip", Hyun Bin murmured as he took a forkful of the panzanella.

Ye Jin laughed and chose to try the pinzimonio first. "Me too"

"You don't get fat", he rebuked. "It's going to take me a month to lose the weight I'll gain here."

"Why?", Ye Jin asked with a teasing smile. "Are you scared of losing your abs?"

"Yes. Yes, I'm scared. I'm scared that I'll lose them before you even get to see them.", he retorted and took another forkful of his appetizer.

Hyun Bin was busy slicing the meat for Ye Jin when another set of visitors occupied the table next to them. The woman, who was maybe a few years younger than them, was helping her two kids to their seats.

Hyun Bin and Ye Jin looked fondly at them. The older girl had her hair in braids while the younger boy had some of his curls draped on his forehead. 

Their mother was busy pulling up the boy's sleeves that she didn't notice the napkin on her daughter's lap fall to the floor.

Hyun Bin stood from his chair and picked it up, giving the girl a soft smile before greeting her. "Ciao", he said.

"Annyeonghaseyo!", the little girl beamed at him. 

Hyun Bin and Ye Jin were taken aback when they heard her greet him in their language. The mother shifted her attention to them and laughed when she saw their expressions.

"They're half Korean", she explained. "I'm Anna", she extended her hand to the couple and exchanged greetings.

"You also speak Korean?", Ye Jin asked.

"No, but my husband speaks in Korean with the kids", Anna replied. "Na Eun here is pretty fluent. She's 5 and Gun Hoo is 3."

"Hangug eo haseyo?", Hyun Bin softly asked Na Eun.

"Ye", she cried out with so much enthusiasm that made the adults laugh.

"Are you here for work?", Ye Jin asked Anna.

Anna nodded, "Yeah. My mother runs her own restaurant and we're trying to look for new wine to add to the menu. No one was free to look after the kids so I had to bring them with me."

Upon hearing that, Hyun Bin's eyes lit up and turned towards Anna.

"My girlfriend is here for work, too", he shared, making Ye Jin blush after referring to her as his girlfriend for the first time. Is that a yes?

"If you want, I can look after the kids while you two go around.", he offered.

Anna's hand went to her chest. "Oh, is that okay with you?"

"Yes. I don't understand what they talk about anyway", he shrugged. "I'll be more useful around the kids."

"Oh, thank you so much", she expressed in gratitude. "I was so worried about taking them here."

"They looked well-behaved though.", he praised as looked at Gun Hoo, who was actively listening to Ye Jin as she showed him something on her phone.

"Don't be fooled. They can be a handful.", Anna warned.

"It shouldn't be that hard", he said with a smile.

Hyun Bin and Ye Jin went on to help Anna feed the kids, allowing them to finish their lunch in less than 30 minutes. They went down altogether and Anna fixed her children's backpacks before turning to Hyun Bin.

"Thank you so much for doing this again", she said. "If you ever need something, just ask Na Eun. I'll be with Ye Jin the whole time so if you need me, you can just ask for me here in the reception and they'll be able to get me."

"We'll be okay.", Hyun Bin reassured her as he took a hold of her two kids.

Ye Jin held his arm, "Call me when you need anything, okay? Don't go too far."

Hyun Bin nodded. "Don't worry. They're just kids, I'll be able to handle them.", he whispered before rubbing her shoulder and kissing her cheek.

Ye Jin and Anna went off to their tour with Mateo and Hyun Bin kneeled down at the same eye level with the kids. "So, what do you want to do?", he asked them gently.

Na Eun wasn't even able to get a word out when Gun Hoo swiftly took his right hand and dragged him out of the house.

"Oh, looks like you have a place in mind, sajangnim?", he joked as his other hand clasped around Na Eun's.

Gun Hoo led them quickly to the back of the house, where Hyun Bin saw a horse stable. Nearing it, there were probably around 10 horses that were in the middle of munching hay.

The two kids bravely approached the animals when a brusque man, probably in his 50s or 60s, held out a hand to stop them from their tracks. "Ah, ah, ah!"

The kids backed up right away and rushed back to Hyun Bin's side.

"You don't interrupt horses when they're eating. You can get hurt", he warned them in Italian before looking at Hyun Bin. 

"I'm Lorenzo. You must be one of the tourists?", he asked in English as he wiped his hand down before offering it to him.

Hyun Bin took his hand, "I'm sorry, they were excited to see the horses. My girlfriend is touring around with their mother."

Lorenzo looked at the two little human beings, who were trying to avoid his eyes and hid behind Hyun Bin's back. "Do you want to go for a horse ride?", he asked in a much gentler tone.

Gun Hoo's face lit up while Na Eun nodded her head shyly.

"Well, you're going to have to wait", Lorenzo said. "You can each ride one after they're done with their food."

Hyun Bin was seated on a wooden stool, with both of his arms held tightly by the two kids. They were excitedly waiting for the horses to finish eating and the only thing that kept them in their place were Hyun Bin's hands.

Na Eun and Gun Hoo were swaying his arms side to side when Lorenzo brought out two horses, one a little taller than the other, and beckoned the kids to come over. 

He lifted Gun Hoo first onto the smaller horse and secured his straps, then he did the same thing for Na Eun before approaching Hyun Bin to teach him how to properly lead, demonstrating a few ways to hold the halter and what to do when the horse acts differently.

"They're the most well-behaved among the herd so you should be fine.", he reassured.

The sun was less torturous when they set out to the vineyards and Hyun Bin led Na Eun's horse to follow the tracks of Gun Hoo's, which was led by Lorenzo. 

They went through the grapevines and the two kids were squealing and laughing in excitement as they rode their horses. Along the way, they came across a woman, who turned out to be Lorenzo's wife.

She was holding a basket of grapes and took out a bunch, offering it first to the kids and then to Hyun Bin. Na Eun and Gun Hoo held out their hands for more after tasting them and she happily gave them a bunch each.

Going further down the vineyard, Lorenzo halted the two horses when they reached a small cottage. He told Hyun Bin to bring the kids down and pointed to a wooden table with long benches before entering the cottage. 

Hyun Bin was able to get the two kids off of their horses without much of a fight since they were still busy munching on their grapes and guided them to sit down. 

He could already feel the back of his shirt drenched in sweat and asked Na Eun if he could look into their backpacks for a wet tissue.

He was wiping down the kids' sweat when Lorenzo got out of the house with a pitcher of cold water and a few glasses. The two men helped the kids and waited for them to finish their snack when Gun Hoo pointed out to an area behind them.

"Take him", Lorenzo said. "We have chickens back there. Show it to him."

Hyun Bin took the boy and let him lead. Just like Lorenzo said, there were a couple of chickens by the side of the cottage. He crouched down and maintained his grip on Gun Hoo's hands as the little boy tried to approach them. 

It was all good and fun until suddenly, one of the chickens took a run for Gun Hoo, startling the child and had him flailing around.

Unfortunately, the place was a bit muddy and with Gun Hoo's feet out of control, it didn't take much time for big chunks of mud to splatter on Hyun Bin's white pants. 

He immediately lifted the boy off the ground but that didn't stop him from flailing, causing the mud from Gun Hoo's shoes to transfer onto the higher regions of his pants. By the time he got the boy to calm down, his white trousers were already a work of muddy art.

"Gwaenchana, gwaenchana", he uttered softly as he wiped the tears off Gun Hoo's face and walked away from the chickens.

Lorenzo guffawed when he saw the state of Hyun Bin's pants while Na Eun immediately scolded her little brother. "Gun Hoo! What did you do to samchoon?", she inquired as she approached them.

"It's okay, Na Eun. I can just wash it off when I get home", Hyun Bin calmed the little girl as he brushed the stray hair off her face.

"Looks like it's time for us to go back. You can't go anywhere else with those pants.", Lorenzo said and ushered the kids back to their horses.

...

Anna and Ye Jin were back in the lobby with Mateo, completely satisfied with their 3-hour tour. They were able to try the signature wines of Chianti and learn more about winemaking and aging. The two ladies also had a good time together, generously exchanging tips and tricks on how to do Korean and Italian dishes with the different ingredients from their regions.

Mateo was informed by one of the staff that Hyun Bin and the kids were back in the rooftop. When they went up, Ye Jin's eyes softened in awe. 

Hyun Bin was seated on one of the chairs, holding a sleeping Gun Hoo on one arm while his other hand was secured around Na Eun's waist as the little girl stood on top of her chair to get a better view of the landscape. 

Na Eun seemed to be in the middle of telling Hyun Bin a story as she was making big, animated gestures and Ye Jin felt her heart skip a beat when she saw how Hyun Bin listened intently to the 5-year-old girl.

Meanwhile, Anna was completely horrified and lost all will to make her legs move when she saw her kids with their impromptu babysitter. 

Upon spotting them, the first thing her eyes went to was the very noticeable stains on Hyun Bin's immaculately white pants. His leather loafers weren't spared either, which were so covered in dried mud that you can hardly see the beige color underneath. 

Her hand went to her mouth as she slowly approached them, catching Na Eun's attention.

"Momma!", the little girl shrieked and hurriedly got down from her chair to run towards Anna.

"Oh, baby. What did you do?", she asked breathlessly after catching her daughter and lifting her against her hip.

Hyun Bin turned to see them and slowly stood with Gun Hoo still fast asleep on his shoulder. "How was your tour?", he asked with a smile.

Only then did Ye Jin notice the abstract art that was Hyun Bin's pants. "Omo"

"I am so sorry", Anna immediately apologized. "Oh my God, I don't know what to say", she mumbled as she brought a hand up to her forehead.

"No, it's okay", Hyun Bin replied with an easy laugh. "We saw a few chickens when we went around and Gun Hoo got a bit startled.", he explained

"Please, just let me pay for your pants. It's impossible to remove that stain.", Anna pleaded as she put Na Eun down and made a move to open her purse when Hyun Bin interjected.

"No, please don't. I should be the one to thank you", he said as his eyes went to Na Eun and smiled tenderly. "You have very lovely kids."

Just then, Gun Hoo stirred awake and lifted his head from Hyun Bin's shoulder, rubbing his eyes before looking at Anna and Ye Jin.

"Hi baby, come to Momma.", Anna said while trying to take him, but the little boy turned his back from his mom and put his head back down on Hyun Bin's shoulder.

"He seems so close to you now.", Ye Jin commented. She went around Hyun Bin and peered at the little boy's face, who looked so adorably sleepy.

Anna took out her phone and asked, "Do you mind if I take a picture of you guys with the kids? I want to show it to my husband, he would be so surprised when I tell him we met Korean tourists today."

Ye Jin smiled and whipped out her phone as well, "That would be nice. Can you take one from my phone, too?"

Ye Jin beckoned at Na Eun to join them and the little girl stood in front of her, taking Ye Jin's hands and wrapping it around her small shoulders. Hyun Bin shifted Gun Hoo a bit so his face could be seen in the picture. Anna took a few of shots then Ye Jin volunteered to take selcas that included all 5 of them.

Anna sighed deeply as she handed them one of her brown bags, "Take this at least, please. This is my thanks for watching the kids and keeping me company on the tour."

Hyun Bin and Ye Jin smiled and bowed to show their gratitude. They walked down to the lobby and waited altogether for their cabs to arrive.

The two kids hugged Ye Jin and gave Hyun Bin a kiss on the cheek before the couple got in their cab.

Looking into the brown bag, Hyun Bin saw two packaged bottles of Chianti Classico. He took one box out of the bag to read the label when a small card fell out.

Ye Jin picked it up and on it wrote an email account, with the note: "Please message me. Thanks for today. Love, Anna."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, yes. I'm a big fan of Na Eun and Gun Hoo that I just can't help but write them into this story. Plus, I also get a feeling that Hyun Bin and Ye Jin are both good with kids because they're sooo gentle, so I decided to include some kiddie fluff for this chapter 😊
> 
> They'll be moving to Sicily next. Please feel free to leave your comments or suggestions. Thank you for reading!


	6. Sicily

The couple changed into more comfortable clothes after arriving back to their hotel. Hyun Bin was doing a final scan around the room before they check out while Ye Jin sent a quick mail to Anna’s account.

'Hi, Anna!

This is Ye Jin Son. Thank you very much for the wine and it was lovely to meet you and the kids! We hope to see you again.'

“Jinnie, is there anything else you need before I bring down the luggage?”

“I’m all good.”, Ye Jin smiled and helped Hyun Bin wheel out their suitcases before going back inside to fix her carry-on.

She was about to shut her laptop when she saw Anna’s reply.

'Hello, Ye Jin

The kids couldn’t stop taking about their Bin samchoon and I wanted to apologize for his pants again. About Sicily, check out this place. My husband and I went there months before I gave birth with Na Eun and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Lots of great restaurants around, too. I hope we get to meet in Korea next time and keep in touch!

Anna'

Scrolling down the page, she saw an attachment that had her completely stunned.

Anna just sent them a voucher to a 3-night stay in a luxury villa at the Mondello beach.

Her thoughts quickly scanned through what happened earlier that day and she was able to recall telling Anna that she still had zero plans on what to do when they reach Sicily. ‘I think we’ll just go around, see what we can find', she said.

She was going to look up the place when the door flew open.

“Jinnie?”, Hyun Bin called. “Are you okay? I was calling your phone. It’s almost 6, we have to be in the airport in an hour.”

Ye Jin quickly shut her laptop and shoved all her stuff in the bag, making a quick mental note to thank Anna later.

….

The two were easily able to board the plane to Sicily. It was a night flight and the airport was filled with less people than usual. Unfortunately, this was turning out to be a very uncomfortable flight. At least for Ye Jin.

She had been uncharacteristically stiff for the past hour. From the moment she took her seat, she had kept her eyes closed and proceeded to do breathing exercises.

On the other hand, Hyun Bin chose to remain silent, desperately trying to stifle his laughter but he was up to no good. He’d tried biting his lip, rubbing his face, pinching his thigh, but none was helping.

Ye Jin could feel him giggling on his seat and that just fumed her further. She clenched her fists harder and tried to take deeper breaths.

Why was she so angry?

It was back in the airport in Siena. They just checked in and were trying to look for a spot to stay at. Ye Jin was a bit hungry so Hyun Bin went ahead to get her a waffle.

She went to one of the long tables and decided to take that time to send Anna a quick thank you message for the vouchers. While on her phone, she saw from her peripheral view a pair of hands setting down a tray to her right.

“What flavor did you get?”, she asked, quickly grabbing the cup of coffee and took a sip before going back to her phone. Anna is so sweet, she thought as she read her message one more time before clicking send.

Ye Jin sipped her coffee again and moved to get the waffle on the tray. The filling spilled a bit when she took a bite so she opened her bag to get a tissue when she felt a tap on her left shoulder.

Looking up, she saw Hyun Bin, staring back at her with inquisitive eyes.

It took her a moment before she noticed the tray in his hands that had 2 cups of coffee and 2 plates of waffle.

Swiftly turning her head to the opposite side, there seated a young Italian man probably their age, pressing his lips together while staring at his now empty tray.

Ye Jin felt her heart drop and abruptly stood from her seat, scrambling to find the right words to say. She was obviously in a state of shock that Hyun Bin could almost hear the gears in her head running on high speed.

“I am so sorry”, she blurted. “Let me get you what you ordered.”

She was about to run and save what was left of her dignity when Hyun Bin held her arm and carefully placed his tray down, then handed a cup of coffee and a waffle to the man.

“Sorry. She thought I was you.”, Hyun Bin explained with a smile.

The Italian man took it and let out an amused chuckle. “It happens.”, he coolly said.

Ye Jin quickly made a bow before taking Hyun Bin’s tray and moving to the other side of the lounge. She had long forgotten her hunger and never spoke a word since.

Hyun Bin already had both of his hands to his face, unsuccessfully hiding his silent snickering when Ye Jin lost it and swatted his arm.

He turned to her, his face red and dimples on full blast before finally letting out a long breathless laugh, leaning onto Ye Jin while clutching his stomach.

Patience. Give me patience, she thought while calling unto every saint that she could remember her parents mention from church.

Hyun Bin was already in tears. “I had no idea you were that hungry”, he chuckled.

Lasers beams shot out of her eyes when she opened them. “You’re not done yet?”, she snapped, feeling increasingly mortified as time went by.

Hyun Bin fell into another round of laughter and Ye Jin had to grip his arm hard.

“Stop it now, he’s going to hear you.”, she cautioned under her breath, stealing a glance on the passenger seated in front of them, who turned out to be the Italian man she embarrassed herself with earlier.

The slight tinge of pain from Ye Jin's grip helped sober him from his fits of laughter and Hyun Bin was finally able to calm down. He looked at her sweetly.

“Don’t say anything. Just don’t.”, Ye Jin growled, closing her eyes again.

“Sorry”, he whispered and unclenched her fist before softly massaging her hand. “How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad?”

Ye Jin could feel her annoyance slip away when he enclosed her hand with his. Just two more hours and she can forget that Italian man along with the humiliating experience she had.

Soon after, flight attendants started serving drinks to the passengers. One hostess approached their row when Hyun Bin leaned into her.

“Wait for your turn this time, okay?”, he reminded before Ye Jin quickly took her hand away and resumed to drawing big breaths.

…

After landing in Palermo, Hyun Bin wheeled their luggage out of the airport and moved to hail a cab when Ye Jin stopped him.

“No, we’re taking a bus.”, she looked at her watch. If she was right, the next bus trip to the Mondello beach should be leaving in 15 minutes.

Her eyes scanned around the terminal when she found a bus stop. “Wait here”, she told him before approaching the bus and showing the driver something on her phone.

A minute later, she peeked her head out and motioned Hyun Bin to come over. They loaded their luggage onto the vehicle then looked for vacant seats.

“Where are we staying?”, Hyun Bin asked once they settled down.

“I forgot to tell you that I cancelled my reservation for the hotel I booked in."

Hyun Bin was surprised on Ye Jin's sudden change of plans. She was never the spontaneous type and rarely cancelled on her plans, much less change them at the last minute. She hated that. 

"Anna gifted us with 3-night stay at the Mondello beach”, she whipped her phone out and showed him a few photos of the villa. “Looks nice, doesn’t it?”, she beamed.

Hyun Bin looked at the photos and was pleased with the villa. It looked like a high-end accommodation and it must've cost Anna a fortune. “Did she think we’re on a honeymoon or something?”

“Maybe”, she shrugged. “I think she was just extremely grateful that you took care of the kids, that’s why.”

Hyun Bin smiled upon remembering Na Eun and Gun Hoo. He used to wonder why his Eomonim always had a fond smile for him even after causing all kinds of trouble as a little boy but after reaching his 30s, he could now see how innocent, playful, and pure kids were for the world. 

The bus sped off exactly on time and Hyun Bin wrapped an arm around Ye Jin. 

He was looking forward to their stay at the beach but he couldn't help but worry about Ye Jin. She was still here for work and he didn't want to get in the way of that.

“The villa looks nice”, he whispered. "But what happened to your plans?"

Ye Jin pondered for a while, “I don’t have any”.

He took a better look at her and slid a hand on her neck. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, curious with the sudden frown on his face. “Why?”

“Am I influencing you?”, he asked. “If I am then we’re in serious trouble.”

“What are you going on about?”, Ye Jin retorted. “Let’s just go on a freestyle tour. I’m sure we can find something to do when we get there.”

“Now, I can seriously hear myself in your words”, Hyun Bin said as he bit his fingernail.

Ye Jin chuckled, “You… you better be honest with me”, she said as she pointed a finger at him. “You never even attempted to make your own plans in Siena, didn’t you?”

Hyun Bin gulped and looked away, “Not exactly.”

He could feel Ye Jin's eyes boring into him and sighed. He was never going to win this battle and might as well give up before she makes her move. “I was really looking up some places because I knew you were going to nag at me”, he trailed off.

“But?”

“But I changed my mind when I saw you in that floral dress yesterday.”, he confessed under his breath.

It was Ye Jin’s turn to look away.

“You looked so beautiful that I wanted to see you for the rest of the day in it. I really like it when you wear dresses.”, Hyun Bin complimented.

Ye Jin’s face was completely flushed by now. She was used to hearing his compliments but they held a very different impact on her now. Am I 18 or something?

Hyun Bin saw her turn away from him and stroked her arm a bit, “Jinnie?”

She didn’t respond. “Ye Jin?”, he called again but Ye Jin still kept her face towards the window.

“…Jagi?”, he tried.

It worked and Ye Jin looked at him with disbelief.

“Is it okay?”, Hyun Bin asked. “Did it come off nicely? Did it make your heart flutter a bit?”

Ye Jin couldn’t help but giggle as she let her defenses down and rubbed her cheeks bashfully.

“Yeah”, she nodded and gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. “I like how it sounds.”

...

It took a half hour before they arrived at the beach and it didn’t take them long to find the villa, which turned out to be an oceanfront accommodation.

The caretaker, Fernando, welcomed them and offered to carry their luggage up to the 3rd floor.

If the Castello delle quattro torra took them back to the old Italian era with its rustic and medieval vibe, the Unìco Boutique Hotel d'Arte was a modern coastal villa that looked every bit the European honeymoon beach nest.

“This is the biggest room in the place,”, Fernando shared after ushering them into the room. “When you go out the terrace, there’s a staircase that leads to the rooftop where you have your own lounge and a private hot tub. Breakfast is available by 8 in the morning and if you need anything, just press 1 on the landline.”

Assuring that they were settled in, Fernando left the couple to their room.

Ye Jin made a beeline for the terrace while Hyun Bin plopped himself down on the bed. He was beginning to feel the exhaustion brought by the day’s activities. From their hike up to the winery under the scorching sun, then his 3-hour babysitting stunt that was followed by a 3 and a half-hour flight, his eyelids were starting to feel heavy and he could barely move his limbs anymore.

“Bin-ah, come out here for a second”, Ye Jin called. “It’ so beautiful here.”

The villa had a pretty good vantage point and if Ye Jin tilted her head a little, she could see the fairy lights that littered around the beachfront with some tourists walking and dining out in the open space. Her expectations were high that the view would be a hundred times more breathtaking in the morning.

Ye Jin turned around when she didn’t hear a response and saw Hyun Bin passed out on the bed.

She slowly made her way into the room, sliding the terrace door shut before grabbing her toiletry bag and heading to the bathroom for her night routine.

Stepping out in an oversized shirt and cotton shorts, she turned the lights off and tiptoed to Hyun Bin’s side to take his socks off and remove his watch. She lifted his head for a bit and removed one of his pillows, knowing that Hyun Bin usually wakes up with a strained neck in the morning.

Satisfied that her man would be comfortable in his sleep, Ye Jin finally tucked herself under the covers and was about to close her eyes when Hyun Bin turned to his side, wrapping a secure arm around her waist and invading her side of the bed again.

Ye Jin sighed. This is going to be another morning of being engulfed in his heavy embrace. She lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his hair, tracing down his eyes, nose, his prominent cheekbones, and finally his lips.

She was still elated and over the moon with the recent change in their relationship. She figured it was too early to say that she could already picture a future with him when they just got together yesterday, but deep in her heart, that was what she truly felt.

Just feeling him beside her, with his hand sprawled on her belly and his soft breaths heating the skin of her neck, made her feel completely loved, and secure, and stable. He never failed to show her how much he treasured her all these years and not once did he make her feel unwanted or undeserving of admiration and praise.

She was simply confident in their relationship because she knew how it took them so many years to reach this point. They grew to earn each other’s hearts until they became worthy of owning it and finally succumbed to their unconditional love for each other.

With that in mind, she couldn’t help but turn her thoughts to his impending move to Manhattan. She was the first person he confided in after being offered the promotion. They were golfing outside Seoul when he suddenly said, ‘My boss wants to send me to Manhattan’.

Objectively, there was no reason for him to turn it down. He was more than capable of leading the project and she instantly went on to list the many reasons why he should take it. Hyun Bin was being stubborn and initially chose to ignore her advice but she wasn’t having any of it. A week later, he sent her a message, telling her that he already took it.

She still stands by what she did. Hyun Bin has worked so hard in the last decade and it’s about time for him to move up the ladder and widen his horizon. He was already earning well and was content was his job but she knew he could do much better. He deserved much better.

She had always dreamed to see him succeed and if what he needed was a strong push, then she would do it without a doubt.

Still, it would be a lie to say that doing that didn’t hurt when in truth, it felt nothing different from piercing a knife deep into her own heart, more so now when she can finally show him all the love that she has for him without restraints.

Holding him back is the last thing she’ll ever do, but as she placed her hand on top of his, she could feel her chest tighten rapidly with the thought of being apart from him. This will hurt when he leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I just want to thank everyone who reads this story! <3
> 
> Second, this chapter was inspired by one of the prompts for the #SuitfitCupid Valentine's challenge that started in twitter.
> 
> "How can I help it if I think you're funny when you're mad?" was the prompt I used. You guys can look it up if you have the time and there's so many good content out there. Our binjin fans are so creative <3
> 
> Things will spice up in the next chapter so I hope you'd enjoy it!


	7. Mondello Beach

Hyun Bin was up just after sunrise. He dozed off earlier than Ye Jin last night and so he left her to get more sleep, lifting the covers up to her shoulders before stepping into the bathroom for a long shower.

Rubbing his wet hair with a towel, he peeked through the floor-length curtains and saw the terrace for the first time. 

Stepping out, he was welcomed with the breathtaking clear blue waters and fresh breeze of the Sicilian west coast. Their villa was placed at the dead center of the beachfront, where he can easily see the two cliffs on both ends of the beach, the Mount Gallo and Mount Pellegrino.

He took a moment to bask under the clear sky and made a mental note to take Ye Jin shopping. There's no way he'd let the days pass without dipping into the sea.

It was half past 7 when he went back inside and remembered Fernando telling them that breakfast would be ready by 8.

He pressed 1 on the landline and the caretaker picked up on the third ring. "Buongiorno!", he greeted.

Hyun Bin asked if they could have their breakfast served in their room, thinking that it would be great to have their first meal here in Sicily out on the terrace. Fernando informed him of the menu for the day and told him that he'd have their food up to their room at exactly 8.

"That would be all. Thank you, Fernando."

"My pleasure, signore."

Hyun Bin approached Ye Jin and sat by the edge of the bed. She looked like an infant sleeping in a fetal position, so calm and serene.

He anchored both of his hands on either side of her and slowly leaned down to kiss her cheek, "Jagi", he whispered but she didn't stir.

He tenderly brushed the strand of hair that tangled around her neck before trailing kisses from her forehead down to her jaw.

"Jagi, wake up. Breakfast will be ready in a while", he cooed while rubbing her back.

Ye Jin opened her eyes upon hearing his soft baritone voice against her ear. She was used to being jolted awake by the blaring and annoyingly loud Apple alarm, so hearing his soothing voice first thing in the morning definitely lifted her spirits and electrified her in a pleasant way.

She gave him a bright smile before stretching her arms and landed them around his shoulders, pulling him down and embracing him tightly. 

Hyun Bin burrowed his face in the crook of her neck, leaving an open-mouthed kiss before sucking at her collarbone, causing Ye Jin to produce a low moan before he raised his head and went for her lips.

Hyun Bin devoured her right away, slipping his tongue into her mouth while his hands slid underneath her shirt, caressing the soft skin on the small of her back. She felt so small and delicate in his arms that it made him enclose her further into his embrace, sucking on her lips when she pulled away slightly to catch her breath.

She glided her fingers down his jaw, softly licking at his lip before sliding her tongue back into his mouth.

She felt Hyun Bin's hand slither down, feeling her ass before gripping the back of her thigh and hitching it up. She held his nape and deepened the kiss, arching her back to meet her chest with his.

Ye Jin was about to slip her hand under his shirt when they heard a knock on the door, "Signore."

Hyun Bin lifted his torso, keeping both of his arms outstretched on either side of her face. "Fernando", he explained.

"Shh. Just ignore it. He'll leave in a while.", Ye Jin instructed as she tried to pull him back.

Hyun Bin looked at her with darkened eyes, convinced to just succumb into her embrace when a second and even louder knock came through.

He sighed and leaned down, leaving a firm kiss on Ye Jin's lips before rising up and strutting towards the door.

He straightened his shirt and brushed his hair back before opening the door, where he saw Fernando beaming at him with two other women behind him, carrying big trays in their hands that held several dishes and three small pitchers.

Hyun Bin apologized immediately and politely declined his offer to bring the food into their room since Ye Jin was still in bed, which resulted to him making three trips back and forth from the door to the terrace.

He was on his way to return the last tray when Ye Jin got up and went out, seeing the big feast that was prepared for the two of them.

"Ya, why did they prepare so many?", she exclaimed as she saw the food that were good for maybe 4 people.

"I don't know", Hyun Bin said as he pulled her chair and motioned for her to sit down "but I'm starving so it should be enough."

True to his words, Hyun Bin scarfed down the food without struggle. They skipped dinner last night and he was still recovering from the physically exhausting activities of yesterday.

Ye Jin was munching on a blueberry muffin when she let out a pleased sound. "Mm, this is so good. Try it", she pinched off a big portion and shoved it into Hyun Bin's mouth.

He nodded, "It's good, but you make those better.", he said, making her smile.

Hyun Bin watched as she finished the rest of her muffin while seemingly hypnotized by the wavy blue waters of the coast.

He remembered one particular pastry class she took a couple years back that she went totally crazy for, to the point that he would find several boxes of different muffins, cookies, and cakes delivered almost every day to his apartment.

Suddenly, his brief nostalgia dug through his mind and unraveled a long, deeply hidden chain of memories with Ye Jin that happened in the past.

How she would tell him off whenever he insisted on walking her home on the few times they were dismissed after dark, but would do so with her hand tightly encircled around his arm.

All the times she nagged at him whenever he came to school with neck and shoulder pains due to overtraining before popping an analgesic into his mouth.

When she always brought a cup of coffee for him during their scheduled study 'dates' in the library and pass him a snack bar before his exams.

Or that one time in college when she purposely stained his duffle bag with gochujang as an excuse to get him another one.

She was bugging him to get a new one for a while because his was already worn out after being used throughout high school. 

'Does it hold a special place in your heart that you can't let it go?', she would sneer at him. He just laughed it off but in truth, he was simply trying to avoid making unnecessary purchases for as much as he could.

Until one school night while on a dinner with Jin Ah and Su Jin, she nudged a bowl of gochujang with her elbow and it spilled gloriously on his bag. The next day, a new Nike duffle bag was already awaiting on his doorstep of his dorm room.

He only found out about it a week later after accidentally finding the receipt in her purse, discovering that the bag was purchased almost a month ahead of her intentional 'mishap'.

Ye Jin wasn't the vocal type. Now that he thought about it, he didn't think he ever heard her talk sentimentally about anything. Even when she got hurt or disappointed, she'd cry and her façade would slip for a moment but that was it.

Along with her strong personality came her rational mindset, which is also the reason why a lot of people would get the impression that she was uptight and intimidating, when she really was just a soft-hearted, vulnerable girl wrapped in a tough and impenetrable exterior.

Others may find that unattractive but Hyun Bin understood her love language. He's seen and experienced it enough to know how and when she expresses what she truly feels, and he vowed to use that ability to see through her for the rest of his life. 

...

The couple left the villa after having their breakfast, both dressed in plain button-down shirts on top of denim shorts for Ye Jin and khaki chinos for Hyun Bin.

"What's gotten into you?", Ye Jin teased as they walked hand-in-hand into the main square.

Hyun Bin told her to dress up after drinking the last of her coffee. 'Let's go shopping', he said excitedly.

And here they were, strolling for the last 30 minutes, trying to look for the shop that he found online.

She had her eyes on a small restaurant when Hyun Bin swiftly guided her into a moderately-sized, high-end boutique.

There were all sorts of clothing in there, casual, semi-formal, undergarments, and swimwear. Hyun Bin led her to the section that displayed the women's swimwear and told her to get what she wanted before heading to the men's section.

A few minutes later, he returned with 3 pairs of dark-colored board shirts and a pair of flip flops. 

Meanwhile, Ye Jin had chosen 2 cover ups and was holding 3 sets of bikinis, one that had a bandeau top, while the other two were of the same style, but one was in cherry red while the other was in navy blue.

"Pick one.", she held up the two similar sets in front of Hyun Bin. 

"Molla", he answered truthfully. "I can't really tell until I see you in it."

She glared at him and smacked his arm playfully.

"Why?", Hyun Bin laughed in defense. "Just get them both."

Ye Jin was going to walk towards the counter when Hyun Bin held her arm, eyeing her choices, "But... aren't those too small for you?"

"No", she shook her head. "These will fit me just fine."

"But those look tiny", he trailed off. The size of the triangular fabric couldn't be bigger than his hand, he was doubtful if it even came close.

Ye Jin scoffed and looked at him in mock disbelief. "My breasts aren't that bag, Bin."

Hyun Bin scratched his head, "That was not what I– "

"I must clear that out before you start having expectations.", she said with a quick flip of her hair before walking past him. 

Hyun Bin paid for their items and Ye Jin impatiently dragged him to the restaurant she saw earlier. She was able to smell the aroma at least a block away before they reached the street and she couldn't get her mind off it since.

There were only a few people inside since it was too early for lunch so she effortlessly found a table for them both.

A middle-aged waitress approached them and handed a menu.

"You choose.", Hyun Bin told her as he scanned around the place.

Ye Jin settled for 2 orders of pasta, a spaghetti ai Ricci di Mare and a lobster fra Diavolo.

Their food didn't take long and Ye Jin was completely stunned with what she saw. It didn't just look aesthetically pleasing, the aroma overtook her senses so much that she had to bite her lip to contain her excitement.

The first thing that her fork went to was the long slice of sea urchin on top of the spaghetti. One can rarely find them in Korea and she's only had a few dishes of it in Japan.

She brought it to her mouth and chewed slowly, savoring the taste and the flavors her tongue could identify. She took another piece and repeated the process, trying to analyze it further and decipher how it was cooked and which spices they used.

Hyun Bin on the other hand, was very amused with her antics. Being a chef herself, it couldn't be helped that sometimes Ye Jin became too critical with her food, so seeing her look excited with the food they're having for the past few days was a treat in itself for him.

Contrary to his woman, he took a large bite of the spaghetti, nodding his head satisfactorily before filling himself up again. He has a big appetite and he didn't like to think too much while eating.

The first dish was finished within a few minutes and the pair shifted their attention right away on the second plate. Hyun Bin was taking a forkful of the noodles when Ye Jin took a hold of the whole hard-shell lobster that was larger than her face.

Hyun Bin watched as she expertly broke it into different parts and started removing the shell, before pulling out an enormous chunk of meat and holding it up against his mouth.

He took a bite and it was perfectly cooked, with a firm and chewy texture that went well with the spicy tomato sauce. Ye Jin tried it herself and was obviously pleased, eager to munch on the lobster further when she accidentally cracked the shell and cut her finger.

"Aw!", she exclaimed and retracted her hand. She was going to give it a shake to ease the pain when Hyun Bin took her hand and examined her finger.

It was a shallow cut but the blood kept seeping out so he tried pinching it before adding pressure on her wound.

Ye Jin melted as she watched him attend to her extremely minor injury. She'd spent more days in culinary school with band aids wrapped around her fingers than not. She experienced cutting, pricking, and burning almost all of her fingers that she was so used to it already, but Hyun Bin was not.

He was still trying to put pressure on the pad of her finger but the bleeding won't stop so he brought his lips down and softly sucked on it. 

Ye Jin flinched a bit in surprise and had to look away to hide the sheepish smile that creeped on her face. Her senses became highly concentrated on the severely seductive pair of lips wrapped around the tip of her finger.

It didn't take much for her thoughts to go out of control, getting rapid flashes of how that sensation would feel on the different parts of her body. 

Hyun Bin took a second look and it seemed much better now, so he wiped her finger down before placing her hand back on the table.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

She caressed his cheek and giggled lightly, "Are you trying to seduce me or what?"

"What did I do this time?", he gruffed.

Ye Jin just shook her head and resumed eating. Let's get this party started, she thought.

...

It was noon when they got back to the villa and changed into their swimwear. Hyun Bin was rubbing some sunscreen on his legs when Ye Jin stepped out of the bathroom, donning her red bikini under a white mesh cover up.

It took all of Hyun Bin's might not to ogle her but when she turned her back at him and gathered her hair up in a bun, the fight was over. 

The sun shining through the glass doors of the terrace gave him a fantastic view of her body's silhouette, where he can clearly see every dip and curve, appreciate her delicate neck, slim shoulders, and toned legs.

She turned to the side and bent down a bit to reach the bottle of sunscreen on the bed, unintentionally flaunting her plump and round rear.

Hyun Bin had to shut his eyes closed and look away before things get out of hand. 

You're not a pervert, Bin

You're not a pervert.

He was caught in an internal dilemma when he saw Ye Jin take off her cover up from his peripheral view,

"Can you put this on my back?", she asked as she passed him the sunscreen.

Hyun Bin drew a deep breath. Good God, help me.

...

The two wasted no time and dipped right into the refreshingly cool waters that soothed them under the sun. There were a handful of other tourists in the sea and they decided to swim further to get some distance.

Confident that they were out of sight, Hyun Bin wrapped his arms firmly around Ye Jin's waist and pulled her in for a kiss.

Something about the waters made their contact more intimate and he was tremendously aware of how tightly their bodies were pressed against each other.

Ye Jin hung her hands on Hyun Bin's shoulders and deepened the kiss, wrapping her legs around his waist as she felt his back muscles flex while holding her close.

His hands went to cup her ass, lifting her higher as he sucked the tender spot under her ear, eliciting a loud moan from her and caused her to throw her head back.

Hyun Bin took that chance to glide his tongue from the base of her neck up to her jaw, sending tingles down Ye Jin's spine that she unconsciously gathered a fistful of his hair before tugging it hard.

The tinge of pain he felt from getting his hair pulled triggered his arousal and he had to lean away for a second to catch his breath as his lady love left soft pecks around his face before nibbling the tip of his ear.

He could feel her tongue against his ear and he hoisted her even higher, bringing her chest directly against his face. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, giving him better access to her cleavage and he devoured as much as her bikini top allowed him.

When Ye Jin pulled away, Hyun Bin felt the air get knocked out of his lungs with how beautifully tempting she looked. With her flushed face and the sunlight bouncing off the waters reflecting on her pearly skin, he never felt so consumed with love and admiration and lust before.

They spent the rest of the hour floating around, talking just about anything while repeatedly pulling each other close for a kiss, caressing and feeling each other's skin.

The sun was setting when they returned to their suite and the couple decided to head up to the rooftop.

As Fernando said, there was a spacious hot tub and a cozy lounge for two under a huge patio umbrella. The view was even better up there and Hyun Bin beckoned for Ye Jin to sit on his lap.

She settled herself on his thighs and wrapped an arm around his neck while absentmindedly stroking his chest with her fingertips.

She's already seen him shirtless countless times before. After all, she never missed any of his tournaments when he used to compete for their school's swimming team.

Ye Jin could still remember how girls would fill in the small arena an hour before the tournament, trying to get the good seats before the rest of the audience came in. Even girls from other schools outside of town would travel to their campus to watch his competitions.

Those lunatics went as far as to wait outside the locker room, ready to pounce on any chance to meet him or even get near him that it made Hyun Bin feel very uncomfortable. 

He despised the attention so much that he just refrained from using the locker room and would leave his things with Ye Jin, which put her on the receiving end of so many death stares enough to last her a lifetime.

Her man was always an eye candy. Anywhere he went, women would always turn and stare at him, oftentimes too long for comfort but she doubts that she would be able to restrain herself like she did all those years if that were to happen again now.

Looking at him, so enticingly handsome and a bit tan from their afternoon swim made her feel a little heated. His body was still as glorious as ever. His smooth skin, with well-defined and a much more muscular torso than 15 years ago.

Hyun Bin turned his head and saw Ye Jin staring at him, giving her a brief kiss on the cheek before removing her scrunchie and letting down her hair.

"What are you thinking?", he asked as his fingers went on to massage her head.

"Nothing", she leaned against his chest. "I was just trying to appreciate your abs before you lose it."

Hyun Bin let out a deep laugh, "You like it?"

She lifted her head and stared at him, so drunkenly in love, before crashing her mouth on his. Wildly swirling her tongue around his before pulling away. "I love it.", she whispered against his lips.

He was going to lean in when Ye Jin briefly stood up and straddled him. She brushed her hair on one side of her face before leaning down and kissing him hard.

Hyun Bin couldn't keep himself from groaning when she felt him grind against him, with her hands at the back of his head, pulling at his hair as she brought her hips up only to bring it down even harder against his groin.

Ye Jin could already feel him harden against her and that just fueled her further, sprawling her fingers carelessly around his neck as she continued her sweet torture.

His hands slid from the back of her thighs up to her ass, giving it a gentle squeeze before nipping at her lower lip.

"You're making it hard for me to stop, Jagi", he muttered breathlessly as he leaned his forehead against hers.

"Then don't", Ye Jin whispered. "I want you just as much, too much."

She made a move to pull him back in before Hyun Bin held a hand against her shoulder, looking a bit torn.

"I– I'm not ready", he stuttered with an apologetic look in his eyes.

Ye Jin pulled away instantly. 

Yeah, this may be too fast. It wasn't her plan to take their relationship to another level physically, but the events of that day drove her insanely turned on and a simple touch would ignite so many of her senses.

But then again, if he wasn't ready, she wouldn't push it.

Hyun Bin saw the brief look of disconcert in her eyes and immediately held her close, worried that his message came across differently.

"No", he shook his head rapidly. "That's not what I mean, Jagi."

"Bin, if you're not rea– ", Ye Jin tried to say before he cut her off.

"I want you", he said with so much conviction. "Believe me, I really want to have you now. I don't care if this is too fast, we've waited long enough, but..."

Ye Jin gulped and drew a breath before he continued. Here it comes.

Hyun Bin opened his mouth for a while before the words came out, "but, I don't have a condom."

Ye Jin blinked her eyes several times. Oh. He wasn't that kind of ready.

"I mean, if you're taking something then maybe we can push through but if not...", he blabbered be

Finally realizing the humor in their situation, she fell into fits of laughter that Hyun Bin couldn't resist joining her.

"Ahh, weayo?", Ye Jin whined before playfully hitting his chest.

"What do you mean why?", he blurted with his eyes twice as big. "I had no plans on getting laid on this trip. If I had known we'd get together and you'd grind on me like this, I would've brought boxes of it with me."

Ye Jin couldn't help but laugh boisterously as he tried to explain himself. 

She understood. She didn't expect any of this either. If anyone told her that they'd become a couple, let alone get sexual on this trip, she would have thrown a glass of water at them to get them back to their senses.

"It's okay", Ye Jin said after a while, stroking his hair and giving him a tender smile.

"I'm sorry.", Hyun Bin whispered softly.

"Don't be", she muttered before getting herself off him and pulling him up, his hardened arousal still evident beneath his black board shorts. "Let's try a few things tonight."


	8. The Shift

WARNING: This chapter contains sexual content. Please skip if you are a minor or uncomfortable in reading explicit material.

Ye Jin held Hyun Bin's hand and led them down to their suite. She could feel her heart racing and her palms sweating.

After she heard him slide the door shut, she turned around and grasped Hyun Bin's biceps, leaving peppered kisses on his jaw.

She heard him sigh and back her up until they reached the bed, when Hyun Bin scooped her up in his arms and laid her comfortably on the mattress. He removed his shorts before climbing on top of her and gave her a soul-stealing kiss.

It was already dusk but Ye Jin could clearly see his darkened eyes boring deep into hers. "Love me", she breathed.

He went on to plant wet kisses, sucking and nipping down her neck to her chest. She felt him pull away for a bit, tracing the outline of her bikini before pulling the fabric to the side, revealing her soft breast in stark contrast to her hardened nipples.

Hyun Bin buried his head in her chest, nuzzling her closely and breathing her scent in before going for her left boob while his hand went up to the other, groping and kneading it gently.

He carefully studied Ye Jin's response to his every move. Noticing how she arched her back when he cupped her breast and squeezed it upwards, how she gripped his arm when he encircled his thumb around her nipple, and especially how she trembled when he sucked at her nipple and nibbled it softly.

He's discovering her body and the sensations he could elicit from it for the first time, and he will take his time.

Sliding down, he sloppily kissed at her toned abdomen. He slithered his hands on the sides of her waist, feeling the dip on her curves until it reached her waist and the strings of her underwear. He abruptly stopped his fingers to look up at her, asking for permission, and Ye Jin urged him to take it off.

Hyun Bin hooked his fingers on the thin strings and pulled her underwear down, off her legs and threw it carelessly on the floor. He trailed kisses from her knee to her inner thigh, sucking hard on the soft skin that it would surely leave marks on the next day.

He stared at her core, breath taken of how flawless and enticing she looked, of how much her scent was luring him in. He never saw anything more beautiful.

He briefly looked up at Ye Jin before burying his face between her legs, "Tell me how you like it", he whispered.

He started off with a light flick of his tongue against her folds before leaving a thorough lick from her center up to her nub. His heart skipped a beat when he tasted her warmth, and he could feel himself so sexually deranged and unable to stop.

He heard her gasp when the tip of his tongue touched her clit and so he repeated the process, lapping it softly before sucking it. He tried to explore her further, actively listening to her every grunt and moan, paying attention to all her reactions to know what she liked and how she liked it.

Ye Jin pulled at his hair hard and anchored her thighs above his shoulders, making him devour her with his entire mouth. She was already writhing when Hyun Bin mercilessly slipped his tongue in and out of her, locking her legs to give him unlimited access until she came down hard.

He felt her bring her legs together, keeping his head down on her center as he continued to suck on her nub as she rode her high.

Ye Jin was catching her breath when Hyun Bin climbed up and laid beside her. She was about to face him and take her turn in giving him pleasure when he pushed her legs open, trapping one of her limbs underneath his and slid his hand down, gently cupping her before stroking his fingers against her slit.

She felt her heart pounding again and grasped his arm to maintain the sensation when he slipped a finger inside, swirling it around before pulling it back out.

Ye Jin moaned. "You like that?", she heard him whisper against her ear.

Hyun Bin was elated when she whined in response to his question and went for her lips. 

He repeated his move, pushing deeper into her and curling his finger up to tease her sweet spot before pulling it out. Ye Jin broke the kiss and whimpered, squeezing his arm harder as she could feel her body rousing again. 

Hyun Bin added another finger into her, curling them up repeatedly to torture her spot without pulling out. He started slowly and gradually increased his speed as Ye Jin's soft moans grew into loud, desperate ones, extremely breathless as she felt herself nearing the edge for the second time tonight.

She lifted her hips in an attempt to pacify the sensation when Hyun Bin leaned down and took her nipple between his lips, sucking it hard while his fingers rapidly slammed into her.

He could already feel her tightening and plunged his fingers even deeper, swiftly pulling it in and out this time, making her give in and scream upon reaching her climax.

He repeatedly kissed her temple while Ye Jin heaved, a bit light-headed as she felt her body melt in sweet exhaustion. Hyun Bin caressed her between her legs before sliding his wet fingers up her body, reaching her chest and massaged her breast lightly.

He was going to slip his arm to pillow her head and pull her close when Ye Jin turned to rise up and straddle him.

She smiled ferociously before leaning down and giving him thorough smooch then glided her tongue slowly up the length of his jaw and nipped his ear.

Hyun Bin groaned, putting his hands on her ass and squeezing it hard as she continued to lavish on the smooth skin of his neck.

Ye Jin pulled away and looked down at him, "It's your turn", she mumbled under her breath.

"Show me how you like it.", she commanded, a very noticeable hint of determination in her eyes while her hands started traveling down to the waistband of his trunks.

Hyun Bin bit his lip and took a deep breath. She will be the death of me.

He could already feel his manhood throbbing, so hard that it was almost unbearable. And it didn't help that she was sitting directly on top of it, looking so sinfully erotic in her full naked glory.

Ye Jin slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his trunks and got up for a second to pull it down to his knees, causing his dick to spring up.

She settled herself on top of his thighs and eagerly stared at his length while Hyun Bin adjusted his position into one that offered him a better view before taking Ye Jin's hand and guiding it around his shaft.

With his hand on top of hers, he demonstrated how to hold him, how to grip him, how he liked to be stroked, and how he liked to be pleasured. Ye Jin could barely make her fingers meet as her hand encircled him, noting every movement that he makes and committing it to memory.

When Hyun Bin felt her going at it on her own, he let go and let Ye Jin set the pace. He moaned as he felt her smooth hand glide down his manhood, momentarily gripping hard at the base before swiftly rubbing it back up again.

He could already feel himself tipping when Ye Jin released her hold and unstraddled her legs. She adjusted to kneel on the space beside him and gathered her hair to one side before bending down, keeping her ass up as she slowly put him inside her mouth.

If Ye Jin thought he was big upon seeing and holding him, she didn't actually realize just how big he was until she found her mouth full with just the tip of his manhood in.

She slowly tried to see how much she could take and found herself halfway through when she pulled back up before she gagged. She wrapped her lips around him again, swirling her tongue over the tip and heard Hyun Bin let out a long groan.

Hyun Bin momentarily closed his eyes to get a grip. He's gonna come faster than ever with the overwhelming sight and sensation he's giving him.

Opening his eyes, he could feel himself falling deeper and irrevocably in love with his woman as he watched her take him, looking so beautifully wanton and tantalizing as she gave him the best pleasure of his life.

Ye Jin kept her slow pace, bobbing her head up and down as she swirled her tongue around him. Hyun Bin knew that he wouldn't be able to last much longer and reached down.

"Jagi, i'm close.", he said breathlessly, trying to pull her up.

However, Ye Jin gripped his thigh and increased her pace, intent on driving him off the edge and send him to Nirvana.

Hyun Bin was trying to hold it in for much longer when Ye Jin's soft hands went to caress his balls and hollowed her cheeks even harder, making him lose all control and spiraled down in long and thick pulses in her mouth.

She kept him wrapped between her lips as his shaft trembled, sucking softly at the tip before releasing it, all while staring at him with mischievous eyes. 

Hyun Bin briefly threw his head back as he drew large breaths. He's never been this satisfied in his life and they haven't even fully went in yet. He took her arms and pulled her up, removing that annoyingly arrogant smile on her lips by crashing his mouth on hers. 

He pulled away and rose from the bed, picking her up and carrying her towards the bathroom.

He set the water to a warm temperature before pulling her into the shower and proceeded to care for her. She had her back on him as he massaged her scalp before he turned her around to face him as he took some body wash and tenderly scrubbed her skin. 

Nobody has ever done this for her before and she would usually find these kind of things too intimate, but Hyun Bin was so gentle that she couldn't find it in herself to stop him. She held her breath when he reached between her legs and heard him chuckle.

"Still sensitive?", he teased.

"Do you really want to know?", she sneered at him.

He crouched down as he worked his way down to her legs, making sure that she was all clean before attending to his own body. He was going to reach for his back when Ye Jin held his arm and motioned for him to turn around, scrubbing his broad back before turning on the shower and rinsing both of their bodies. 

...

Ye Jin was drying her hair when Hyun Bin stepped out of the bathroom and checked on his phone. It was nearly 8 in the evening and he was happy to find 2 recent messages from his Eomonim. 

Or happy until he gulped upon reading them.

'Are you still breathing?'

'Do you have no plans on telling me how you are?'

Scrolling up, he saw tons of messages from her that went unread and couldn't help but wince as he scanned them. 

His Eomonim had every right to go berserk. The last text he sent her was when they arrived in Siena, 4 days ago. He was so occupied in making the most of his time with Ye Jin that he often missed to check his messages.

He was about to type an apology when he saw one particular message that made his heart drop.

'Your visa is here.'

He sighed. So caught up in this trip, Hyun Bin forgot that his visa would be delivered that week. 

He was still half-hearted about leaving. He was certain that taking it would advance his career but moving to an entirely different country was a whole other thing, even when he only had to be there for a year and a half. 

When he first told Ye Jin about it, she was so excited that they spent the rest of their 18-hole golf session with her blabbering about how the promotion would benefit him, train him to work with multi-national colleagues, and open doors to tons of new opportunities in the future. 

'There's no reason for you not to take it.', she persuaded.

Everything she said was true. The pros definitely outweighed the cons from a professional stance and her eagerness made him decide that it was better to keep his own reasons for not going to himself.

1) His Eomonim. Ae Ri was the most willed and fearless person he knew in his life. She was the wind beneath his wings and the power behind his fist. She thought him everything he needed to know and learn in life. She provided him with everything she could give and not once did she falter.

He knew that his Eomonim would support him with anything but leaving her was unthinkable. She was already in her late 60s and it scared him that if the moment comes that she would be the one to need his help, he would be halfway around the world and unable to do anything. 

2) His job. As much as he was confident that he would be able to handle the project given to him, he couldn't help but entertain that small but existent possibility of failing. Hyun Bin was all about stability. He liked maintaining everything in his life that even a slight change would make it hard for him to adjust. He knew more than half of the world's population prefer to challenge themselves to grow, Ye Jin being one of them, but he wasn't anything like that.

He was a simple man, with simple wants and needs. He also had big aspirations but he was able to find the beauty in the steady, everyday life. 

He figured that if there was a chance for this big step to fail, he would much rather settle with his current career (that was already paying him well) and take the long way up than gamble on this opportunity and start from the bottom. 

3) Manhattan. Hyun Bin never lived outside of Korea before. He loved to travel but everything about him, from inside out, screamed Korean culture. He had experienced being around foreigners during the few times he made business with them but that was in the presence of his Korean colleagues.

Now, it was him that is going to be the outsider. He would have to live on his own and fend on his own. It felt very much like the young boy from the countryside moving into the big city, except that this big city was one of the largest metropolitans in the world, nearly 7,000 miles away from home.

Lastly, and what turned out to be the newest and most important addition to his reasons for staying, was the 5 foot 5 girl that just walked out of the bathroom and headed straight for the bed.

His Jinnie. 

If Ae Ri was the power behind his fist, Ye Jin was his auxiliary fist. She was his hidden weapon, the nuke among the rifles. If it were a one-two punch, Hyun Bin would throw the first hit while Ye Jin would deliver the real thing, the second and the deadly blow.

He never had to worry too much in his life because she was always there to back him up, cheer him up, and give him the no-bull conversations his shallow head sometimes needed. 

Up to that moment, he still didn't know what came to him or what went in his head when he told her about the promotion. Something about her and the dynamics of their relationship just brought out everything in him, even those that he didn't initially plan to share.

Maybe he needed one of her extremely strong words of encouragement, maybe he needed someone who thought differently and make him realize the things he couldn't see, or chose not to see.

Maybe he wanted her to hold him back, tell him to drop it, affirm why he shouldn't go.

He felt a pair of hands slip around his waist and felt her rest her head against his back. This sudden and unforeseen change in their relationship just made things harder for him by a mile that there's no way he could leave now. 

Not anymore, when the woman he always loved and wanted was clinging to him so tightly and returning his love so unconditionally.

He whipped a quick apology to his Eomonim and promised that he would call her in a few hours then tossed his phone to the table, choosing to forget everything as he turned to Ye Jin and lost himself in their kiss.

To hell with Manhattan.

...

When Ye Jin stirred awake, she was expecting to feel her man's arms and legs tangled around her but was surprised to find herself alone on the bed, with the lights off and the curtains drawn. 

Rolling to her side, she reached for her phone and jumped up when she saw that it was already 9. She was going to head to the bathroom when she heard Hyun Bin's voice out on the terrace.

"We got here the other night."

"I'm sorry I forgot to call you."

"I was so tired that I couldn't even keep my eyes open."

Ye Jin carefully stepped out and saw Hyun Bin sitting on a chair, holding his phone directly at his face. 

"She's here.", he said with a soft smile and Ye Jin stood behind him, encircling her arms around his shoulders and rested her chin on top of his head.

"Omo! Jinnie-yah! Jal jinaeseyo? You look so much prettier!", Ae Ri beamed at her.

"I'm fine, Imo!", Ye Jin greeted. "I hope you're doing okay while Bin is here with me."

"Dangyeon-hajyo!", the old woman exclaimed. "I should be the one to thank you, the house has never been so peaceful."

Ye Jin laughed while Hyun Bin scoffed.

"Eomonim", he held one of Ye Jin's hands that were sprawled on his chest. "I have something to tell you."

"What?"

He brought Ye Jin's hand up to his lips, "Say hi to my girlfriend.", he told his Eomonim with a proud smile.

Ye Jin didn't know what to expect, Ae Ri always liked her and would softly caress her face whenever they met but she could still feel the sweat building up on her nape. 

"Ya, Kim Hyun Bin", Ae Ri snickered. "That's a really good joke.", she deadpanned.

"I'm not kidding!", Hyun Bin spoke two octaves higher. "We're really together", he whined as he held their intertwined hands closer to his phone's camera.

"I'm not buying it." Ae Ri said with a little laugh.

"Wah!", Hyun Bin sighed. Was it really that hard to believe that he finally snagged Ye Jin?

He looked up at Ye Jin and raised his phone to her face, "Tell her, tell her."

She giggled a bit before saying in a mock whisper, "He wishes, Imo."

Hyun Bin heard his Eomonim laugh and looked at his girlfriend in disbelief. "Aniya! She was the one the one who made the first move."

Meanwhile, Ae Ri, who was enjoying a cup of tea in Seoul after having her early dinner, was looking at the two with motherly eyes.

If it was true, if they were really together this time, then the last of her worries is finally settled. 

Hyun Bin is his own person now, and how proud was she in the man he grew up to be. She didn't have much to brag about, but Hyun Bin will always be her greatest blessing and accomplishment in life. 

She did her best to take care of herself while raising him, as hard as it may be, because she wanted to be around for as long as he needs. 

There's no way to know how much longer she has left, maybe a few years or a few decades if she was lucky, but it was just unimaginable for her to think about leaving him before he's even settled. 

It was up to her boy to pick the woman of his choosing but deep in her heart, she always rooted for Ye Jin. 

She couldn't imagine any other woman complimenting Hyun Bin better than her. With their history, and the ups and down they've been through, Ye Jin is the perfect stability that her boy always craved for. 

So looking at Hyun Bin, so bashfully happy (albeit a little annoyed of their teasing) while holding the hand of the woman that she always admired, she wished for them to be true. 

Because if this is one of the pranks that they used to pull on her back in their younger days, they're really going to get a taste of her unforgiving tongue. 

"Really? You really said yes to this guy, Jinnie?"

Hyun Bin has had enough. He was so pressed that he looked up to his woman and lifted his hand to pull her down for a kiss when they heard a loud protest on his phone.

"Ya, ya, ya! Arasso, geumanhae! Geumanhae!"

He had a smug look on his face when he suddenly saw his Eomonim, smiling while trying to wipe the tears off her face, making Ye Jin cry along with her.

"Why are you crying?", he softly asked. 

Ae Ri lifted her head up and gave them a tender smile with her tear-stained cheeks. 

"Kim Hyun Bin, Son Ye Jin. I am genuinely, sincerely happy for you.", she said. "You have no idea how happy you made me."

...

The couple were back in the main square, treading the same steps they did yesterday as they set out to the small restaurant that seems to be Ye Jin's new favorite.

They chatted with Ae Ri for another half hour, filling her in on the events of the past few days until Hyun Bin decided to cut the call because it was already dark back in Seoul.

"Now your Eomonim already knows", Ye Jin pronounced as she slipped a hand in one of his back pockets while he had an arm around her. "Next would be my parents."

Hyun Bin couldn't help but wince. 

"Oh please", she chided. "You don't have to worry about anything when Appa thinks you walk on water."

Ye Jin's dad instantly took a liking on Hyun Bin, probably faster than he has with anyone else. From the first time they met during one of the late school nights when Hyun Bin insisted to walk her home, his father already treated him like a son.

She remembered how her Appa looked at him from head to toe, with Hyun Bin avoiding his eyes, before ushering them both into the house and insisting that he ate dinner with them.

How he inquired the teenage boy about everything and anything in his life, which Hyun Bin truthfully answered without an ounce of shame that you would typically find in young Koreans with unconventional families.

Her Appa had a good eye for people and their character that he instantly let down his guard upon recognizing that the young boy meant no harm, who might actually be a good and loyal companion to his daughter.

Hyun Bin chuckled, "I highly doubt that."

"Really? You think that when you probably see him more often than I do with your frequent golf dates?"

When Ye Jin's father found out that Hyun Bin plans to take business in college, he immediately scheduled a trip to the nearest country club in their neighborhood to give him his first lesson in golf. 

'If you want to get people to trust you, you have to know how to work your way into their circle.' he said before executing a drive. 'You won't believe how many of these moneybags like to do business over golf. You'll thank me in 10 years.'

And just as her old man said, Hyun Bin was able to use the skills her father had imparted on him to his advantage. 

"Leave it to me to tell him. I'll let him know myself.", Hyun Bin said before kissing her forehead.

"Are you sure?"

He smiled in response. He's going to keep his word to her father.

'If you and my little girl ever get romantically involved, I want you to be the first to tell me.'

He remembered his samchoon telling him, with his shining golf club pointed at him on one particular golf session with Ye Jin's uncles. 

Their friendship was a running joke in their family and everyone just seemed to know that they'd end up together someday, even though that possibility didn't have the slightest chance from materializing at that time. 

He was still recalling that honestly frightening memory when Ye Jin steered him into the restaurant.

They went early again since they chose to skip breakfast and the same middle-aged waitress spotted them before pointing at a table near the kitchen for them to sit at.

"Pleased to see you again.", she greeted before offering them a menu.

Ye Jin didn't have to look at it anymore and repeated the very same orders she made the day before.

The waitress giggled, "Good choice. Your food will be ready in 20."

It took them half the time to finish their food compared to yesterday, with Ye Jin and Hyun Bin in comfortable silence as they paid their full attention to the dishes on their table. 

Ye Jin was trying to look for the waitress and thank her for their meal, but she didn't seem to be around so she slowly made her way to peek into the kitchen when an old Italian lady donning a white apron and a chef's hat suddenly opened the double doors.

"Che cosa vuoi?", she questioned while looking straight at Ye Jin with both of her hands on her hips.

Ye Jin was stunned, and a bit scared, of the old lady snapping. 

"I'm sorry", she quickly apologized and was about to head straight out when the waitress came in and approached her upon realizing the situation.

"Va bene, mutti", the waitress told the lady, who seemed to man the kitchen before facing Ye Jin. "Did you enjoy your food?"

"Yes", Ye Jin nodded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, I just wanted to–"

"It's alright", the waitress assured her before extending her hand. "I'm Bella and that woman was Lucia, she cooks everything here."

Ye Jin's eyes widened. The lady must at least be in her 60s.

"Do you want to meet her? I'll give you a proper introduction.", Bella offered.

Ye Jin turned around and held up a hand towards Hyun Bin, gesturing that she would be off for a while.

Hyun Bin nodded and raised his thumb. He was going to wait patiently when he remembered spotting a convenience store on their way to the restaurant and sent Ye Jin a short message.

...

He headed out and made quick, long strides until he found the store and held the door open for a customer that was about to exit. 

Having been to enough 7/11s in Korea, he knew that 'Jimmies' were always placed by the cashier so he made a beeline for it upon setting foot inside the store.

His eyes scanned the small shelves that were placed by the counter but everything was printed in Italian. He couldn't tell apart which boxes in front of him held candies and which held condoms. All he understood were numbers and condoms definitely weren't sold by 50s per small boxes.

He was caught in a dilemma when the man who fronted the counter coolly picked up a blue box and slid it towards him. 

Hyun Bin's ears turned bright red when he realized and quickly took one more of the same kind, avoiding the employee's eyes until he got out of the store.

Making his way back to the restaurant, he saw Ye Jin laughing with the waitress and had her arm around an old Italian lady.

She spotted Hyun Bin come in and beckoned for him to come over. "This is Lucia."

Hyun Bin extended his hand out but flinched when the old woman sharply swatted it away.

"No handshakes when she's cooking.", Bella whispered to him. 

He was momentarily taken aback, thinking if he should apologize but decided on giving her a polite and traditional bow instead.

"Lucia offered to give us classes tomorrow.", Ye Jin beamed. "She's going to teach us how to make the sea urchin and spicy lobster pasta."

Ye Jin was smiling widely at him and snapped her attention back to Lucia but Hyun Bin quickly caught on the two times she uttered 'us'. 

Looks like he'll also be in one of those white aprons and chef's hat tomorrow.

He listened to a few more chats between the women, happy to indulge on whatever Ye Jin wants to do when they found several people start piling into the restaurant since it was already noon. 

The couple bid their goodbyes, noting the sharp reminder from Lucia to come on time the next day. 

Ye Jin encircled her hand around his arm as they exited the restaurant when she noticed the small brown bag he was carrying.

"What did you buy?"

Hyun Bin smirked and transferred the bag to his other hand before pulling her close. "You'll find out."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! We got three days left before Valentine's Day and I hope you were able to see the SMART CF Teasers with Hyun Bin and Ye Jin <3
> 
> Again, thank you so much for reading this story! I hope everyone is still finding this interesting and I certainly appreciate the votes. Have a good day!


	9. Lull before the storm

WARNING: This chapter contains sexual content. Please skip if you are a minor or uncomfortable in reading explicit material. 

The couple headed for the beach. It was early in the afternoon and Hyun Bin suggested to take advantage of the cloudy weather to stroll around.

He folded his pants up to his knees before wrapping an arm around Ye Jin's waist as they walked by the shoreline, with the seawater occasionally crashing to their feet.

"What do you wish to do when we get back, Bin?", Ye Jin looked up at him.

He sighed. She tried to sound calm but he could easily sense the foreboding tone in her voice. "Go on a date maybe?", he attempted to lighten her spirits.

Ye Jin nodded.

"Go to the gym", he grumbled. "Lose all the weight I gained."

Ye Jin pressed her fingers firmly against his abdomen.

"It's alright. It's still there.", she comforted, making him chuckle.

Ye Jin drew a breath. "A month is still long, right?", she mellowed. "I hope it doesn't pass by too quickly."

Hyun Bin held her hand, halting their tracks and pulled her into his arms. "Promise me something."

She raised her head and stared at him.

"Promise me that you'll be honest with me", he whispered as he caressed her cheek before hooking a finger under her chin. "Just tell me not to go and I won't."

Ye Jin did her best, but her tears stubbornly made its way into her eyes and there was nothing she could do to keep them from falling. She casted her eyes down, away from his, and kissed his hand.

"I know that it's bothering you. ", Hyun Bin continued. "It pains me, too."

No. She didn't want him to go.

The last 4 days she had with him, as short as it may seem, had felt like nothing but a dream. She never knew that she would finally be able to hold him like this, kiss him freely, and love him intimately as she has.

The thought of him leaving already hurt her before.

When he let her know about it the first time, she found herself bursting into tears as soon as she came home to her apartment.

She had tried so hard to show him her level-headed and practical alter ego, pushing him to take it but the only thing that saved her ass from revealing what she truly felt were the brief acting classes she took way back in their school's theatre club.

After that, the dam was left open. Seeing him or anything that reminded her of him would send her crying. She was annoyed of it and honestly had to thank her incredible ability to hold back her tears most of the time.

She thought that the pain would maybe cease after a while and that she would hopefully learn to accept his departure, but that wasn't the case.

When Hyun Bin agreed to go with her to Italy during the night of Jin-Ah and Jin Woo's wedding, she bawled her eyes out again in the confines of her hotel room, thinking that this trip with him might be the last time they get to hang out before he leaves.

Jokes on her. They did way more than just hanging out.

Forget about accepting that departure, she will never be able to do that now.

But then, his aspirations are far more important to her than her selfish needs.

She's not going to be the clingy girlfriend that would stop him from pursuing his career, or anything he wanted in life.

She's certain that he wouldn't do that to her, and she will never do that to him.

Gaining her strength from the man who held her heart at the palm of his hand, she stared at his eyes, allowing herself to get lost in his gaze before gathering his hands in her own.

"I'm not gonna do that", she whispered. "I'm not going to ask you to stay."

She noticed his shoulders slump a little in disappointment.

"I don't have to tell you what I want, one look at me and you'd already know.", she said with a smile.

"It does break my heart to think about you leaving... but it will break me even more if I see you holding back because of me."

Hyun Bin shook his head. "Don't think like-"

"Aniya", she asserted and took a deep breath. "Let's just act as if you're not going to leave. As if we don't have that month-long countdown hovering over our heads. That will certainly make things easier for us."

Hyun Bin couldn't help but look at her wistfully. He heard her clearly but the words she said were the complete opposite of what her eyes were telling him.

He wouldn't be able to do this. Suddenly, the cons outweighed the pros in his decision for leaving, with Ye Jin taking up a big part of it.

He cupped her face and kissed her passionately.

He didn't care if they were outside.

Not even with a handful of tourists only meters away from them.

She was hurting. He was, too. Even more so. And he needed her close.

It was the only thing he could think of to alleviate the current pain he was causing them both.

He proceeded to kiss her around her face. The side of her lips, her tear-stained cheeks, the tip of her nose, and lastly, a lingering kiss on her forehead. He drew her further into his embrace and caressed her hair.

"I'll do that for you.", he whispered.

I won't leave.

...

The cloudy skies didn't last for long and Ye Jin instantly started whining when the sun shone mercilessly over the Sicilian west coast. "I didn't even put sunscreen on!", she wailed.

They just entered their suite and she headed straight to the bathroom to freshen up. She looked into her purse to get a cool tissue when she saw the brown bag that Hyun Bin held earlier.

She convinced him to put it inside her purse so he didn't have to carry it around. He never told her what it was so she curiously took it out of her bag and peeked inside.

She found two blue boxes that looked familiar, but the brand and the prints were in Italian that she couldn't be so sure. 

When she opened it, her suspicion was affirmed. She saw another box inside the brown bag and couldn't help but laugh.

Strutting out of the bathroom, she saw Hyun Bin lying on the bed, looking through the channels on the tv when she leaned on the wall and crossed her arms.

Hyun Bin just raised his eyebrows at her.

Ye Jin bit her lip before raising a packet of condom in between her two fingers. "Was this the thing you said you're going to check out for?"

He looked at her, dumbfounded. Did he have to explain?

She was the one who whined when he told her he didn't have any yesterday!

"We only have 2 days left on this trip." Ye Jin started. "2 days and a half if you count the rest of the day."

Hyun Bin thought it was wise to keep his mouth shut. At least until he fully understands what she's going on about.

"You think you'd get this lucky?", she teased under her breath.

"What do you mean?", he asked pensively.

Ye Jin made her way briefly into the bathroom, shaking her head before tossing the 6 packets on the bed.

Hyun Bin laughed and scratched his head.

"It's just a precaution", he wasn't the slightest bit intimidated. "Do you want me to go out on an errand with a bulge on my pants just because we ran out of stock?"

"What are you planning on doing for the rest of the trip?", Ye Jin dared. "Lock us up in this room?"

Hyun Bin slowly tilted his head at her remark. "Sounds like a plan", he licked his lips slowly, "Shall we get started?"

He turned to his side and extended his hand, which Ye Jin took with mock exasperation before he sharply yanked her into the bed.

He swiftly took his shirt off before leaning down and slipping his tongue into her parted lips.

Hiking her dress up, he caressed her thighs before pulling down her underwear and Ye Jin wiggled slightly to pull it off her legs.

Hyun Bin stroked her slit, teasing and rubbing before inserting a finger into her. He dug deeply into her core until he felt her body reacting, quickly adding another one in to arouse her even more.

He hastened his pace and could feel her slick walls beginning to tighten, using his thumb to rub her clit when Ye Jin pushed his chest and sat up, pulling her dress up and over her head before wrapping her arms around Hyun Bin and pulling him back on top of her.

He tugged at the cup of her bra, licking at her nipple before biting it gently as he brought a hand to knead her other breast.

Ye Jin urgently patted down the mattress, trying to locate one of the foil packets that she carelessly threw on the bed earlier.

Finding one, she held it in her hand and was going to tear it open when she felt Hyun Bin suck hard on her nipple, causing her to arch her back and let out a loud moan.

She tugged at his hair, detaching him from her chest and he released her nipple with a loud pop. "Enough", Ye Jin uttered with urgency and pushed the packet to his chest.

Hyun Bin took it and leaned down to kiss her firmly, "You sure?", he whispered against her lips.

Ye Jin held his head and kissed him deeper. "Make love to me. Show me how you much you want me."

Her words intensified Hyun Bin's arousal and he briefly got off the bed to remove what remained of his garments.

He nudged Ye Jin's legs open and positioned himself in front of her core, rubbing his thick and hard arousal against her warmth.

He allowed himself to enjoy her wet slit before tearing the packet open and sliding the condom down his length.

Resting his weight on outstretched arms at either side of her head, he kissed her cheek softly before guiding his tip to her entrance.

"I'll go in slow.", he promised.

Sliding himself in, he saw Ye Jin wince and stopped abruptly. When he felt her squeeze his arm, he tried to push himself further into her, relishing in her sweet moans that he never imagined she could make.

He was halfway in when Ye Jin grunted loudly.

"Does it hurt?", he asked.

Ye Jin squinted her eyes shut, "Why do you have to be so big?"

Hyun Bin couldn't help but giggle. He looked at her passionately, "I'm all yours, Jagi."

Ye Jin embraced him tighter, indicating for him to continue and gritted her teeth as he stretched her out, far more than she ever thought she could handle.

Hyun Bin didn't know the limits of his self-control until this very instance. She was so tight and warm that even the slightest movement was threatening to send him off to ecstasy.

He pushed himself further into her until the lips of her entrance reached the base of his shaft. He lied still as he waited for her to get used to him, showering kisses around her face and cherishing how his lady love enveloped him so warmly and intimately.

"I love you.", he whispered to her ear.

"And I you", Ye Jin said and stared into his eyes, "Now, show me just how much you do."

He kissed her passionately, sucking on her tongue before he started thrusting into her, slowly and deeply.

He had to clench his fists as it took everything in him to control his moves, especially when he felt Ye Jin's fingernails scratch lightly down his back, with her moans directly against his ear as he gradually increased his pace.

Ye Jin wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer as he pounded deeper and quicker into her.

The room was filled with the sounds of their bodies slamming into each other and Hyun Bin adjusted his position so he could pummel into her mercilessly, causing Ye Jin to let out short screams each time he filled her in.

Her breathing has become far too erratic and her hands were tightly wrapped around his shoulders.

"Look at me", she heard him say. 

She used what was left of her sanity and did as she was told, finding his darkened eyes boring into hers, with his face inches away as he thrusted rapidly into her, "This is how much I love you."

Hearing her, seeing her, and feeling her tripled Hyun Bin's pleasure and nearly drove him crazy. He took deep breaths as he felt Ye Jin approaching her peak, adamant on holding himself in until he makes her come hard.

A few more thrusts in, he heard her forcefully scream and tightened around him, her body trembling as she climaxed intensely.

Hyun Bin watched his woman, his manhood starting to throb inside her as she looked a hundred times more beautiful while completely consumed and drowned in pleasure. He gently wiped the sweat at her forehead and rose up.

Ye Jin was in the middle of catching her breath when she felt Hyun Bin tug at her legs, dragging her to the edge of the bed before turning her over.

He raised her hips, making her lift her ass up before pushing her back so her chest was in contact with the mattress. 

Hyun Bin couldn't forget this position that Ye Jin made when he sucked him beyond his limits last night.

Just seeing her so vulnerable and ready for him was enough to make him burst at the seams, so he glided his hands on her ass and gave it a gentle squeeze before inserting himself back into her, where he now belongs.

She was far more soaked given her recent climax and he easily slammed himself in and out, letting himself lose control this time and went at the pace he wanted. The pace he needed.

Ye Jin whimpered when she felt her body react to him instantly, feeling herself build up again and surrendered completely.

He gripped at her waist and plundered into her, throwing his head back as he worked his way to their climax.

He moaned loudly when he Ye Jin started pushing herself back to meet his thrusts and rammed deeper into her, feeling himself being lifted higher and higher until he felt her walls tighten around him again, sending him off to that sweet ecstasy that he raced to meet. 

...

Ye Jin laid in Hyun Bin's arms savoring the feeling of his fingers trailing down her back.

"Aren't you hungry?", he asked. 

They fell on the bed and passed out immediately after their frantic love-making, and it was already way past sunset by the time they woke up. 

Ye Jin shook her head.

"I don't think I have the energy to do anything.", she confessed and looked up at him with a squint in her eye. "You weren't very gentle with me."

"I said I'll go in slow" Hyun Bin leaned to kiss her forehead. "Not that I'd take you gently.", he winked. 

Ye Jin smacked his chest and he stroked her hair as his tone turned serious, "Are you sore?"

She smiled at him and rested her head on his chest, "I'm okay. You just drained my energy, that's all."

"I know what we can do.", he murmured before untangling himself from her and got up to rummage through their luggage.

He put on one of his board shorts and took Ye Jin's navy blue bikini.

"Are we heading out?", Ye Jin croaked.

Hyun Bin simply shook his head and walked towards her, pulling her up on her feet. He crouched down to help her into her underwear and motioned for her to turn around so he could tie the strings of her bikini top.

Ye Jin was so tired that she left all the work to him, keeping her eyes closed until she felt him drape a dressing gown around her shoulders and tugged at her hand.

She followed him obediently when he led them up to the rooftop and Hyun Bin used the flashlight on his phone to locate the control panel of the hot tub.

She was looking at the fairy lights that littered the beach when she felt a hand on her waist and Hyun Bin guided her into the tub.

Dipping her foot in, she felt the warm water soothe her skin in contrast to the cold sea breeze and immediately submerged her entire body up to her shoulders.

Ye Jin sighed and stretched her limbs out, feeling the exhaustion and soreness of her muscles slowly slip away.

Hyun Bin put her dressing gown aside before joining her. He settled behind Ye Jin, keeping her in between his legs and wrapped his arms around her.

She felt him caressing her skin as he peppered kisses on the side of her head.

"Do you feel good?", he whispered against her ear.

She held his hand and placed it on her chest. "Hm", she smiled. "It's just what I needed."

Hyun Bin continued his handiwork and softly rubbed her neck, gently massaging her shoulders down to her arms.

Ye Jin moaned when he felt his hands slide to her back and he pushed her slightly to sit up straight before untying the strings of her bikini, placing it on the side of the tub.

He used both of his hands to fully massage her back, kneading and pressing his way from her waist up to her shoulders.

When he felt the tension on Ye Jin's torso finally slip away, he stood up for a bit and went to the opposite side of the tub, seating in front of her outstretched legs.

He took her foot and pressed his thumbs against it, working his way up her leg then repeated the process on her other limb.

It was all soothing and relaxing for Ye Jin until his hands hiked above her knees and started rubbing on her thighs. His strokes were long and firm, digging deep into her skin and his palm was pressed onto her inner thigh so intimately that she had to bite her lip.

Hyun Bin had completely pure intentions but he snapped his head up when Ye Jin let out a long and deep moan. He could barely see her eyes under the night sky, but he could clearly hear her shallow breaths as his hands were sprawled on one of her thighs.

He licked his lips and decided to continue his motions, sliding his hands further up until his fingers felt the fabric of her underwear.

Ye Jin was moaning repeatedly now, completely aroused by his maneuver. She was waiting for him to really touch her but to her disappointment, his hands stayed where they are with the occasional brushing of his fingertips against the covered lips of her core.

She decided to use her free foot to nudge at his waist, gliding it across his side and up to his shoulders. Hyun Bin deliberately ignored her teasing and that was when she slipped her foot under his arm and placed it directly on his groin, feeling his arousal bulging against the bottom of her foot.

She heard him sigh as she rubbed her foot up and down against him and Ye Jin decided to crawl her way up to his lap, straddling him.

"I thought you were tired.", he teased as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Not anymore.", she replied and nibbled on his ear.

Hyun Bin dipped his head and guided one of her nipples into his mouth, sucking it softly before leaving sloppy kisses on the expanse of her chest. 

He grabbed her ass while she grinded on him, letting her lean her breasts against his face as she strived to intensify the friction between their arousals.

"Should we head down?", Ye Jin asked, breathless.

Hyun Bin left a lingering kiss on her boob before slipping a hand into his pocket and pressing a condom to her hand.

Ye Jin pulled away and took it, letting out a soft giggle before pinching his nipple lightly. "You saw this coming, didn't you?"

Hyun Bin pulled her back in, sliding his hands across the small of her back before drawing her into his embrace. 

"I told you", he whispered, trailing kisses along her collarbone. "I'm taking precautions seriously this time."

Ye Jin looked around. They were out in the open but it was so dark that she could hardly even see his face that was right in front of hers. As long as they go slow and keep themselves from making any loud noises, then they'd be able to pull this off.

She sighed in mock exasperation and tugged lightly at the waistband of his shorts, motioning for him to take it off. She raised herself a bit as he pulled it down, and felt his manhood rest against her lower abdomen when she settled herself on top of his thighs.

She opened the packet and reached down to put the condom on his dick while Hyun Bin fingers brushed against her core, pushing the fabric to the side and inserted a finger into her.

He slowly moved it in and out, making sure that she was sufficiently wet before taking him. When he was satisfied, he held Ye Jin's waist and guided her to his arousal.

He felt her tight walls gradually widening to accommodate his thick length as she lowered herself down, allowing him to fill her up to the brim.

Hyun Bin held her close as she sat still, waiting until she was ready and left sweet kisses on her shoulder.

Ye Jin took a deep breath and started moving, she was still a bit sore but the water made it easier for her to lift herself up and down, calculating her pace into a slow and steady one.

She placed both of her hands on Hyun Bin's chest for leverage and rode him, hearing him moan as she clenched herself tighter around him.

"I wish I could see you.", he confessed.

Ye Jin leaned into him and nipped at his ear, "Do I feel good?"

"You feel perfect", he replied. "I don't think I can ever stop myself from having you."

His words turned her on and she wrapped her hands loosely around his neck and began to quicken her pace, letting her hips do all the work as she brought herself down on him completely.

Thank God for Pilates, she thought as she felt her heart starting to race.

She heard Hyun Bin moan louder and pulled him by the neck, crashing her mouth on his to devour the erotic sounds he was making.

Ye Jin started grinding her hips relentlessly when Hyun Bin grabbed her ass and held it steady, thrusting himself into her.

When she felt him ramming directly against her sweet spot, she unconsciously tightened her fingers around his neck and that drove Hyun Bin wild.

He never thought that it was possible to suddenly get tons of sexual fantasies in the span of a moment, but when Ye Jin's fingertips dug onto his neck, he lost all sense of control once again and everything about him was consumed by her.

He took Ye Jin's hands and grasped it tightly behind her back as he plunged himself erratically harder into her, completely trapping her into his embrace as she succumbed to his wild assault.

"You're mine", Hyun Bin declared. 

Ye Jin bit her lip and allowed a short whimper to slip from her lips.

"Come for me", he whispered against her ear. "Let go, Jagi."

That pushed the button for Ye Jin and her body went still as Hyun Bin felt her pulsate around him, leading them both to their release. 

He loosened his grip on her hands but kept her tenderly enclosed in his embrace as she let herself fall deeper into his arms, thoroughly spent and out of breath. 

...

Hyun Bin wrapped Ye Jin in her dressing gown and carried her back to their suite. She wiggled a little for him to settle her down upon reaching their room. "Now, I'm hungry", she pouted.

Hyun Bin laughed, "Okay, dress up. Let's head down in a bit."

"No", Ye Jin whined. "Let's just order something, maybe they serve dinner here.", she dashed to the bedside table and dialed on the phone.

Hyun Bin was going to head into the shower when he passed by the small desk in their room and saw Ye Jin's laptop, "Do you mind if I use your laptop for a second?"

Ye Jin waved a hand at him and quickly resumed her conversation with whoever was on the other line.

He went out to the terrace for a bit and logged into his email account, internally breathing a sigh of relief after seeing that his inbox didn't blow up. 

He saw a few messages from work, nothing too important, but there was one message that drew his attention.

Sent by Korean Air, giving him an update about his flight scheduled in the next month.

He clicked on the link attached to the email and was directed to the official site of the airline. Scrolling down, he proceeded to read on different information and noted some requirements before quickly writing an email to begin processing his ticket refund. 

He also sent a message addressed to his boss, asking if he could schedule for a meeting when he returns. 

His finger hovered slightly over the touchpad before he clicked send, when the glass door suddenly slid open and came in Ye Jin, with Fernando trailing behind her, carrying trays of food.

He quickly shut her laptop and helped them lay the plates out on the table, completely forgetting to log out his account.


	10. Crossing the line

Ye Jin extended her hand to turn off the loud alarm on her phone immediately after the first ring, then caressed the heavy head that laid on her chest.

Hyun Bin, tightly wrapped around her, was still in a deep sleep and snoring lightly when Ye Jin wiggled a bit to carefully extract herself from his embrace.

Lucia instructed them to be in the restaurant at 8 AM so she could give them a quick lesson before they open at 11. 

Which was why Ye Jin set her alarm an hour and a half before their meeting time. Being the organized person she was, she was easily able to calculate the time they needed to get to their 'class'.

10 minutes to prepare the things we need,

45 minutes to shower and get ready,

20 minutes to grab a quick breakfast,

15 minutes to walk to the restaurant.

She opened the curtain a little to let some light in, enough for her to see inside their room but not too much to wake Hyun Bin, and tiptoed to their luggage.

She took out an off-shoulder floral dress that went up to her knees and matched it with brown sandals then looking into Hyun Bin's suitcase, she found a crimson shirt and brought out his second pair of khaki pants.

After rearranging her purse and assuring that she had everything she needed, she walked towards her sleeping man and took a peek at his face.

He was lying on his stomach, with some of his hair brushing over his forehead and looked about 20 years younger in his relaxed state that she couldn't bring it in herself to wake him. 

Ye Jin decided to let him sleep a bit more, dropping a light kiss on his cheek then made her way into the bathroom. 

After rinsing the shampoo off her hair, she heard the door open and came in a sleepy-eyed Hyun Bin, dragging his feet further into the bathroom and stripped off his trunks before joining her in the shower.

"Why did you get up so early?", he murmured against her neck while sprawling his hands across her abdomen. 

"We have a class with Lucia, remember?", she explained as if speaking to a child. "I was going to let you sleep a bit more, did I wake you?"

She felt Hyun Bin shake his head. 

"You weren't in bed and I heard the shower running.", he turned adjusted the water to a warmer temperature. "What time is it?"

"Quarter to 7, I think?"

"And what time do we have to be there?"

"Before 8."

Hyun Bin moaned in response and slid his hands up to her chest, brushing his thumbs over her nipples before grabbing her breasts.

She felt kiss the side of her head before whispering against her ear, "We still have time."

"You know the woman is gonna give us hell if we run late.", Ye Jin tried to sound serious but her voice came out breathless when he tugged at her nipples.

Hyun Bin turned her to face him and leaned down to grab the back of her thighs before hoisting her up and against the wall. 

"We won't.", he reassured and that was the last coherent thought that Ye Jin could remember. 

...

Exiting the bathroom, Ye Jin gasped when she saw that it was barely 30 minutes to 8 and they weren't even dressed yet.

She quickly put on her clothes and pinned up her hair, deciding to skip on her makeup and went directly to put on her shoes when she saw Hyun Bin moving like a sloth, only having worn his pants by the time she was completely dressed.

"Bin-ah!", she bellowed and Hyun Bin jerked his head so fast he thought he was going to get a whiplash. 

"Mwo hae?", she whined. "Ppalli hae! It's already 7:40, it's going to take us 15 minutes to get there."

He knew better than to answer back and felt small beads of sweat building up on his nape when her tone momentarily reminded him of his old platoon commander back in the marine corps. 

He couldn't even fix his hair when Ye Jin dragged him out of the room after slipping his shoes on and he had to take long strides to keep up with her quick steps.

...

It was 5 minutes past 8 when they arrived and Hyun Bin went stiff after seeing Lucia waiting at one of the tables, shooting daggers at them with her hands fisted on her waist.

She walked towards the couple and started scolding them in Italian as they followed her into the kitchen, where she brought out a white apron and hat for each of them.

Lucia smiled as she helped Ye Jin with her attire, softly brushing the strands of her hair and securing it in place before turning to him.

She beckoned a finger at his face and Hyun Bin leaned forward, expecting to receive the similar warm attention given to his girlfriend when the woman forcefully pulled the hat on his head before pushing him towards the sink to wash his hands. 

He wasn't even meant to be here. 

Along with his simple palate came his inexperience in the kitchen and he wasn't proud of it. Cooking is a basic skill that everyone needs to learn at some point in their lives but he was just the type who only cooks because there is a need to eat. 

Yet here he was, trapped inside a big kitchen wearing an apron that was one size too small for him, surrounded by a lot of foreign tools and ingredients he's never seen before.

And... under the watch of two equally but differently feisty women.

Hyun Bin resigned to play the role of a dutiful boyfriend and hopefully, remain invincible for the rest of their class but that wasn't exactly the case.

After drying his hands, he was going to reach behind Ye Jin and help her tie her apron when Lucia grabbed his arm and dragged him to one corner, where he saw live hard-shell lobsters in a big cooler. 

Lucia hauled one out using a skimmer and dumped it into a large stock pot with boiling water. She pushed the skimmer into his hand and beckoned for him to do as she demonstrated.

Hyun Bin smiled at the lady, finally spotting a chance to get to her good side and confidently dipped the skimmer into the cooler. However, he didn't expect for the lobster to thrash around and quickly tossed it into the pot, causing some of the hot water to splash out. 

The old lady just shook her head and took a small kitchen timer, setting it to 16 minutes before stepping away. Hyun Bin was going to follow her when she quickly turned around and pointed a strong finger at him, telling him to stay where he is and wait until the lobsters are cooked.

Approaching Ye Jin, the smile on Lucia's face instantly returned as if turned on by a switch. 

Ye Jin was on the last round of flattening the handmade dough Lucia had prepared earlier in the morning before running it through the pasta cutter. 

The Italian cook watched as the young chef worked effortlessly, who obviously had proper training and hard-learned skills by the way her hands moved accurately without much thinking.

It didn't take long for her to finish preparing about 10 servings of pasta and Lucia instructed her to start boiling the noodles before lifting two bowls on the table, one containing tons of sea urchins submerged in water and the other with ice water. 

Hyun Bin grew tired of watching the lobsters and decided to toughen up, making his steps towards Lucia and Ye Jin, but still knew his limits and stopped about a meter away from them.

Lucia was teaching Ye Jin how to prepare the sea urchins, so immersed that they looked like doctors performing a surgery while trying to scoop the uni out of the shell, careful to keep it intact. 

Ye Jin was deeply focused in the task and absorbed every move Lucia was making like a sponge. Her eyes shifted back and forth between their hands as she bit her lip in concentration. This was the longest Hyun Bin saw her without blinking and he had to stifle a laugh.

His Ye Jin had the attention span of a goldfish, if things didn't interest her enough, she'd walk away. There were times when you could almost see her patience slowly running out like an hourglass but on instances like this where she finds herself completely engrossed in something, her distractions were close to none. 

He was so entertained in watching Ye Jin's antics that he didn't notice himself stepping closer to them until Lucia turned her eyes at him, snapping him back to his senses and only then did he hear the sounding alarm of his boiling lobsters. 

He quickly sprinted towards the stock pot and lifted the lid, an enormous amount of steam welcoming his face before spotting the bright red-colored lobsters under the water.

Hyun Bin was going to scoop them out when he felt Lucia standing behind him, causing him to rethink and recalibrate his movements as to not disappoint his girlfriend's new mentor.

Drawing a deep breath, he carefully took them out and placed them on separate plates, smiling proudly that he got through his task when he felt a small pat on his back. 

Turning around, he saw her looking at the lobsters, seemingly satisfied and shot the first smile she's ever directed at him. 

With that, he took courage and finally tried to get himself into what they were doing. The ladies were getting started with the sauce for the lobster pasta when Hyun Bin spotted a tray of cherry tomatoes and quickly popped one into his mouth.

Ye Jin saw him do it the first time and decided to ignore him. She could see him from her peripheral view, casually picking on the tomatoes as if they were chips and soon enough, the then full tray was reduced in half.

She was going to let it go when Hyun Bin started getting his hands on the freshly cooked ground beef and shot a warning glare at him. 

"We didn't have breakfast.", he explained.

"And whose fault was that?", she sneered. They could've grabbed something along the way if only he didn't grab her in the shower. 

That shut him up.

Failing to notice his brief 'snacking', Lucia eventually allowed Hyun Bin to help them for as much as he could, delegating him to simpler chores that were impossible to fail like draining the noodles, occasionally stirring the sauce, and keeping their workplace tidy. 

An hour and a half later, the two pastas were done and Ye Jin had also helped her make the initial preparations before their restaurant's opening while Hyun Bin had cleaned the kitchen back to its original state. 

Ye Jin tried to offer a decent amount of Euros to thank her but the generous cook refused, so she stubbornly sneaked the few bills into the pocket of Lucia's apron before leaving the kitchen.

On their way out, they saw Bella fixing the silverware and approached them, "How was it?"

"She's so great.", Ye Jin praised. 

Lucia could hardly speak in English while Ye Jin didn't understand any Italian but their shared passion for food had overcome their language barriers and the two women worked together as if they had known each other for years.

"When you come back– and I know you will", Bella smiled at them. "Visit us again and I'm sure she'd love to teach you more."

The couple hugged the friendly waitress and bid their goodbyes one more time with Lucia before heading out.

"Should we go for a swim?", Ye Jin asked, wanting to take advantage of the clear skies. 

"Do you want to?", Hyun Bin asked. "I'm really hungry so maybe we could get something first before we head to the sea."

"Oh, but can we go back to the villa real quick? My battery's drained.", she used her phone to take notes and pictures of their cooking session and forgot to take her power bank with her.

Hyun Bin nodded, "Sure. Maybe you can wear your bikini under your dress, too, so we won't have to make another trip to change."

...

Back in their suite, Hyun Bin went straight to the bathroom and Ye Jin sat on the desk to charge her phone. While waiting, she decided to open her laptop and transfer her notes when she found Hyun Bin's email still logged in to her device.

She was going to sign it out when she saw a message with a big bold subject written as

REFUND REQUEST

She proceeded to read the rest of the email from Korean Air as well as the request that Hyun Bin sent the night before, utterly confused why he's trying to cancel his flight when suddenly, a notification popped up about a new email from who looked like his boss.

Opening it, she read through the message of his sajangnim, who wanted to let Hyun Bin know of his free hours in the next week.

Scrolling down, she felt her heart drop when she read his parting message.

'I completely understand if you're withdrawing and for whatever reason you have, I will respect it.

If you ever change your mind, just let me know and we'll put you back in.'

She leaned on her chair and felt all her energy leave her body after digesting what she read. What is he doing?

Just yesterday, he opened up to her regarding their upcoming separation and she thought that they had already made things very clear about that.

She never saw this coming and had no idea of what he was scheming, but what made her more upset was why he didn't seem to have any plans on telling her about it?

He was all set to leave before they went on this trip. What made him change his mind? Her?

He's really out of his mind, isn't he?

Just then, Hyun Bin stepped out and was going to hug her from behind when she swatted his hands away and shifted on her seat.

Turning to face him, he saw the expression on her face and had a feeling that this wasn't going to be good.

"Why?", he carefully asked.

Ye Jin slid her laptop towards him, with his boss' response flashed on the screen. 

"What are you up to?", she inquired under her breath.

Hyun Bin scanned through the message and took a deep breath before settling himself on the edge of the bed. 

"You weren't supposed to see that.", he rubbed his forehead as he tried to avoid her stare, mentally knocking his head for forgetting to log out his account.

"So when are you planning to tell me that you're not leaving? What? Are you planning to surprise me about it?", Ye Jin's tone remained calm but the disappointment in her voice couldn't be more loud.

"Are you going to have me send you to the airport only to find out that you're not going? Is that what you're planning?"

Hyun Bin finally looked into her eyes and shook his head, "No. I wasn't going to tell you because I knew you'd act like this."

"Of course, I will." Ye Jin was started to get worked up, "Were you expecting me to take this lightly? You're about to leave in a month, Bin."

"Can you just...", he trailed off. "There's really no reason for you to be mad about this."

"Well, I am mad", she fumed. "And I don't even see the reason why we're even having this conversation."

"Then let it go.", Hyun Bin whined. 

"Not until you take that request back and tell your boss that you're pushing through", Ye Jin asserted. "You waited 10 years for this chance and you're just gonna drop it like it's not a big deal?!"

"I never said it wasn't a big deal" Hyun Bin uttered his words slowly. "Listen, you have your reasons to push me into going but I have my own reasons, too. Okay? 

She heard his voice tremble.

"Reasons that I'm not obliged to tell you about because it's my career and I get to choose what to do with it. Not you. Not anyone else."

"I–"

"No", he seethed. "I already made my decision and I don't care whether you think it's good for me or not. There's nothing you can do about it anymore, end of discussion."

Ye Jin conceded instantly. 

This would be the first time he ever told her off.

He was right. It was his career. 

Who did she think she was to call the shots for him? Every. single. time.

She casted her eyes down as soon as her tears fell and made her way out to the terrace.

"Jagi", Hyun Bin sighed apologetically.

"Aniya", Ye Jin whispered, deeply ashamed, as she wiped the tears off her cheeks before giving him a forced smile. "I'm sorry if I crossed the line."

She slid the door closed and went up to the rooftop before allowing her tears to flow freely.

Realizing what she did, she was suddenly filled with guilt for all the grief she's given him.

For so many years, all Hyun Bin ever did was listen to her. Whenever he would tell her something, she always had a ready advice for him and would convince him to go for whatever she's trying to talk him into doing.

Whenever he came across the few disappointments he had in life, he would be all ears in her chastising, taking in and absorbing whatever it is that she needed to tell him.

She was so used to giving Hyun Bin a piece of her mind about anything and everything in his life that she failed to asses if she's starting to become too overbearing.

She used to think of it as her own little way of looking after him, making sure that he makes all the right decisions that would be best for him, or at least what she thought were best for him.

She never meant to go overboard. 

She only always had good intentions for him and even though she knew how much he understood her blunt personality, it was still wrong of her to assume that she had any say on his life and whatever he plans to do with it.

Admitting her fault, she let herself cry in remorse and reflect on her actions. 

She was hurt, but Hyun Bin made a very clear point.

She would have to talk to him about that, clarify their boundaries, segregate which matters they're allowed to touch from which they shouldn't put their noses into.

It's about time for her to adjust her mindset and let him breathe. After all, she was the one who took this risk. And there was nothing she wasn't willing to give just to make this work.

...

It was sunset by the time Ye Jin headed back down to their suite. She was so drowned in her thoughts and emotions that she lost track of time and had long forgotten her hunger.

She took a deep breath before sliding the door open, preparing to face the man she had unintentionally hurt, but was surprised to find the room empty. 

She was going to call out his name when she saw one of her dresses laid out on the bed with a note on top of it.

'I headed out to get something.

I'm really sorry for being harsh earlier. I hope you forgive me. 

Meet me out on the beach whenever you're ready. 

I'll be waiting at the open dining, the one with the fairy lights.

I love you.

Bin'


	11. The Promise

WARNING: This chapter contains sexual content. Please skip if you are a minor or uncomfortable in reading explicit material. 

Hyun Bin was tapping his fingers absentmindedly on the table as he waited, or rather hoped, for Ye Jin to appear.

When he saw the tears pool in her eyes after their argument, he knew that he screwed up pretty bad. 

Ye Jin had a very high crying threshold. She's perfectly able to hold her tears in even when everyone around her were bawling so for her to start crying right on the spot, means that she got really hurt. 

Tears slipped from his own eyes after she left, instantly regretting what had happened. He remembered the guilt-ridden expression on her face, which was the very first time he saw that look in her and he never thought that he would be the one to bring that out.

With Ye Jin always being right for more than half the time, he really grew to love her mindset and would listen to whatever she has to say.

He was so fascinated of how someone can think so differently from him that to some extent, he became dependent on her because he was more of a subjective decision-maker while Ye Jin had always been objective. He was the sensitive one while she was more rational, so seeking each other's thoughts had always balanced their opinions out.

He didn't mean to sound harsh earlier. It was the last thing he would ever do.

It's just that he already knew that she'd talk him out of his decision and wanted to get his point across right away because for him, it was already non-negotiable.

He was going to stand his ground firmly this time and the only reason he's doing that is because it directly involved her. 

He tried to sound firm but it was never his intention to hurt her like that. He planned to follow her out to the rooftop but decided that it might be better to leave her alone.

After all, she never liked it when people invaded her space whenever she got emotional. She liked solving her problems on her own before letting other people in, and the only reason she's tolerated his presence throughout the years was because he always knew how to wait. 

But now, this waiting game was killing him because it's a hard consequence that had to come along with his stubborn choice. 

Thoroughly stressed, his eyes wandered around for the nth time, desperately eager to spot her when his sight immediately latched on her.

He could easily spot her in any crowd, especially in that strapless silk dress that he prepared for her before he left their suite. She had his jacket draped tightly around her shoulders and slowly made her way towards him. 

Hyun Bin immediately vacated his chair and went to help Ye Jin, worried that she's still upset when she suddenly kissed his cheek before sitting down.

She expected him to return to his seat in front of her when she felt Hyun Bin hug her from behind, his arm wrapped around her chest and left a firm kiss on her temple.

They stayed that way for a moment and she breathed his scent in, feeling her heart melt when he heard her whisper against her ear.

"I'm sorry I hurt you."

She rubbed his hand and leaned her head on his before motioning for him to take a seat.

"I'm sorry, too.", she apologized and reached for his hands.

Hyun Bin was relieved to see the calm expression on her face, noticing that she wore the terrarium necklace he gave her back in Siena, and enclosed her small hands tenderly inside his large ones. 

"I didn't mean to hurt you", he started. "Like I said, I already anticipated how you would react once you find out and I just wanted to emphasize that there's no way for me to change my mind about it anymore."

He watched her carefully, gauging her reaction before continuing, "I know you have your points. You've made those clear with me from the first time I told you about it and I really appreciate how much you care about me and how you always want what's good for me. I always have and that's why I listen to you all the time.."

He took a deep breath, "But this time, it's different. I was wrong for saying that I wasn't obliged to tell you my reasons for staying, when you absolutely had every right to know because you're the biggest reason why I chose to stay."

"And I promise to explain everything to you but what's important for me right now is to let you know that I never meant to hurt you. I was so caught up on getting my point across that I became careless with what I said. Mianhae."

Ye Jin smiled before shaking her head lightly, "No. I'm partly at fault, too."

"I just came to realize how much I involve myself in everything that concerns you. I don't know when I started doing that to protect you.. look after you.. make sure you don't do anything that's gonna end up hurting you", she trailed off.

"But that's not an excuse for me to beat you into making your own decisions." Ye Jin gave him a sincere smile, "I'm sorry if it took me this long to realize that you're still your own person, who's entirely capable of making smart choices, and that you're the only one who can truly tell what's best for you."

Hyun Bin was going to disagree when Ye Jin beat him into it, "I know that you'll still come to me and listen to me, I mean it's all you ever do". She squeezed his hands tighter, "But I still wanted to apologize about that. You're right, things are different between us now and I want us to meet halfway."

"It's probably going to take us a lot more conversations, maybe a few months or years before we really get to decide on our boundaries", Ye Jin softly said. "But I want us to be honest with each other. Tell me what you like and what you don't like. Let me know if I'm being too much and what you exactly expect from me. You're entitled to do that now and I would do the same for you."

Hyun Bin couldn't help his tears as his heart skipped a beat. Hearing those words from Ye Jin had felt like a hard-earned reward after so many years of trying to break down her walls and let him in.

For someone that wasn't so vocal, and far less sentimental, it surely took a lot for her to open up like this, and he was never going to let her down. 

He was suddenly overwhelmed with so much love and passion for his woman, determined to double his efforts in cherishing her, protecting her, and showering her with all things good in the world.

He lifted his hand to her face and leaned in, kissing her firmly for as much as the table between them would allow him. 

When he pulled away, he saw Ye Jin blush slightly as she glanced to her side, highly aware of another couple that were seated at the table next to them. 

She gave him a bashful smile then held his hand up to her lips and the two spent the rest of their dinner with their hands held, on the last night of their trip and under the fairy lights that Ye Jin earnestly wished to see from the moment they got here. 

...

Hyun Bin had his arm around Ye Jin, securing her tightly to his side as they walked back to their villa.

"What did you buy?", Ye Jin craned her neck to peek on the few bags that he held on his other hand.

"Just a couple of presents for Eomonim and your parents", he shared, "I figured we might run out of time tomorrow so I tried to see what I could get."

Hyun Bin knew he'd lose control and follow Ye Jin earlier if he stayed in their suite, so he decided that it would be better if he strolled out for a bit to clear his mind and found himself purchasing a couple of things to bring home, including a special gift for the tiny and beautiful lady glued to his waist.

The cold sea breeze blew stronger and Ye Jin pulled his jacket tighter around her arms. She slipped a hand in one of his back pockets and rubbed it against the fabric, trying to warm her palm.

Unfortunately, Hyun Bin took that small gesture differently and thought that Ye Jin was caressing his butt, so he inserted his arm under the jacket and placed his hand right under her breast.

Ye Jin, remaining innocent, didn't think too much of it and was actually grateful that he held her like that because he always had heated hands and it helped warm her body a little.

Entering the villa, the couple briefly greeted the receptionist before making their way up to the third floor. 

Turning away from the lobby, Ye Jin felt his hand slide down to her ass, cupping it as they went up the first flight of stairs. 

Again, she chose to ignore him as she still had one of her hands in his back pocket and assumed that he just wanted to be close with her.

However, upon reaching the second floor, she certainly felt him squeeze her bottom and when she looked at him, he only stared at her as if he did nothing.

Is this the game you're playing?

She took her hand out of his back pocket and returned the squeeze he gave her, a tad harder.

Hyun Bin looked at her in disbelief, and that's how the two of them stupidly ended up gripping each other's butt cheek tighter than the other all the way up to their floor. 

Ye Jin was laughing hard, grateful that no other tourists staying in the villa had seen them looking like idiots trying to get a hold of each other's ass. 

She scanned their keycard when Hyun Bin wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him, making her feel his arousal on her behind. 

Upon passing the threshold, she turned around and slithered her hands around his neck, leaving him to shut the door close then he backed her up against the wall and relentlessly devoured her mouth.

Dropping the bags to the floor and casually tossing the jacket away, the two already had their hands all over each other as they tried to dominate one another.

Hyun Bin won when he grabbed her breast just how she liked it then pulled the straps of her dress down, kneading on her bare mounds while Ye Jin proceeded to undo the buttons of his shirt. 

After removing his top, Hyun Bin knelt down and hiked her dress up to her waist, kissing on her lower abdomen before pulling her underwear down.

He took one of her legs and placed it on his shoulder, bringing his face directly at her core as he gave her first a thorough lick before parting the lips of her center and lapping at her nub. 

Ye Jin threw her back against the wall and held on to Hyun Bin for support, trying her best to keep her balance on one foot as he feasted on her warmth. 

She tugged hard on his hair when he sucked on her nub, urging him to intensify his stunt so he started thrusting his tongue into her.

The feel of his warm mouth intensely pleasured her core and sent her plummeting down, keeping his head between her legs as she mewled through her climax. 

When Ye Jin went still, Hyun Bin raised her dress as he kissed his way up her body, pulling it over her head before grabbing her by the waist as they navigated their way towards the bed.

She quickly unbuttoned his pants and knelt by the edge of the bed, stripping him and immediately enclosed his arousal with her lips.

She took him in for as much as he could, causing him to harden further when she started using her tongue to pleasure his length. 

Hyun Bin brushed her hair away from her face and gathered it at the back of her head, allowing her to go at her own pace when she suddenly held his shaft up before leaning down and licking at his sacks. 

Hyun Bin let out a loud groan. 

Unwilling to release himself before she's satisfied, he lifted her up before she could do anything else and deposited her on the mattress. He took a foil packet from the bedside drawer and passed it to Ye Jin, allowing her to slide its content on his length.

Ye Jin lied down and waited for him to climb on top of her when she felt him nudge her legs open and position himself to her entrance.

Hyun Bin wasted no time and plunged into her, slowly filling her up until the base of his length.

She was going to wrap her limbs around his waist when Hyun Bin suddenly raised her legs up high, resting her shins on his shoulders before he leaned down, allowing him to thrust so deeply into her that she couldn't keep the scream from coming out of her mouth. 

She had no idea that she could be consumed this much and squeezed her eyes shut when he started moving in and out of her, directly hitting her sweet spot that she had to take a fistful of the covers to keep herself from writhing.

Ye Jin whimpered loudly as he rammed into her in slow but hard successions. She was so overwhelmed with pleasure that she rapidly came down hard, briefly blacking out as she tried to fill up her longs by drawing deep breaths through her mouth.

Hyun Bin took her legs down while still keeping himself inside her, watching as Ye Jin heaved.

His hands went on to search for hers, intertwining their fingers before lifting them above her head and securing it there. 

He leaned down and began grinding into her, with her moans directly against his ear as she instantly wrapped her legs around his waist and started meeting his thrusts. 

He could feel her lifting her hips so he pulled her hands higher above her head and really pounded into her, keeping her helplessly trapped in his wild assault.

Ye Jin's wails were starting to grow louder again and had to bite her lip, painfully near her climax when Hyun Bin suddenly slowed down.

She groaned in utter annoyance, completely unbothered to hide her disappointment when she heard Hyun Bin giggling, "Aren't you a little impatient?"

"Enough with the teasing and get on with it", Ye Jin snapped, exhaling loudly each time he plunged into her.

"Patience, Jagi", he comforted as he peppered kisses around her face. "I'll bring you there."

Ye Jin kept groaning in a form of protest but surrendered and let him take control. 

That was, until her patience and tolerance for her man ran thinner and thinner until it just vanished.

He kept increasing his pace, driving her crazy only to halt and slow down, then wait for her to react before speeding up again and the cycle went on and on.

She didn't know what kind of self-control this man had, or why on earth he took pleasure in torturing her, but she's had enough. Was that the reason why he held her hands up?

Seeing her frustrated was nothing new to him but getting her sexually frustrated was an entirely different matter. 

"Bin, I swear", she warned under her breath. "If you do that one more time, I won't let you touch me for a week."

Hyun Bin laughed at her angered tone, "Have I reached your limit?"

Ye Jin grumbled in response. 

Hyun Bin sighed and proceeded to release her hands, guiding each one around his neck. 

"I wanted to keep you up all night since we're already leaving tomorrow." He kissed her tenderly for a moment. "But looks like I have to give up on that now, instead of going sabbatical for a week."

Ye Jin chuckled and drew him closer, taking all his glory as he steadily increased his pace and brought them both to their much awaited climax.

...

Hyun Bin left a lingering kiss on Ye Jin's forehead.

It's been hours since she drifted off or more accurately, passed out, right after they made love. 

He held her tightly in his embrace and caressed her body, savoring her beautiful nakedness against his bare skin.

He couldn't bring himself to sleep, a bit disappointed that they're set to leave at noon and take a flight back home, where everything will resume to normal.

Well.. apart from the fact that their lives will never go back to the way it was, for they were greatly intertwined now.

He was watching the sunrise through the small gap between the curtains when his thoughts went to look back on the last 7 days that changed his life inevitably.

Ye Jin falling asleep on their flight to Rome, 

arriving at the Castello in Siena, 

her adorable reaction when he got her the necklace,

the first night they shared a bed,

Ye Jin initiating their first kiss,

embarrassing herself on their way to Sicily,

His love initiating their first intimate encounter,

all their passionate lovemaking,

and just how she surrendered her entire heart, body, and soul to him. 

Completely and Unreservedly.

He turned to stare at her face, partly illuminated by the soft rays of sunlight that peeked through the curtains.

She seemed so fragile like this with all her defenses down and her alter ego casted away, but she looked far more beautiful to him in this raw and vulnerable state. 

He will never grow tired of this sight, of her touch, and of anything about her.

He will never grow tired of learning to love this woman even better. His woman.

He was certain that for as many lifetimes he'd be blessed to have, he'll find her, keep her, and choose her over and over again.

For whatever awaits them after they leave this place and return home, he'll stay by her side, just like he always has. 

Fate had played its part for bringing them together and keeping them together through all these years, and now it was totally left to their hands to nurture and cultivate this relationship into something that would last against all odds. 

As he let himself kiss her awake, he sealed this lifelong promise to her.

A deep promise that he might never be able to tell her, 

But rather spend the rest of his life trying to show her.


	12. Epilogue

"Your dad's never been hostile around anyone, hasn't he?", Hyun Bin asked pensively as he took a second look at the mirror, assessing his golf outfit.

He and Ye Jin had returned from Italy the day before and the first thing he did was call her dad and invite her parents to the country club they frequently went to.

He wanted to personally let them know about their new relationship as soon as they got back, desperately praying for them to take the news positively. He knew how much Ye Jin loved her family and their approval mattered a lot to him. 

"Well, he's certainly never beaten any of my exes with a golf club before.."

"That's because none of your exes ever made an effort to meet your dad.", he deadpanned. 

Ye Jin laughed. Good point. She was putting on her makeup and her heart fluttered when the light reflected on her diamond earring, a gift that Hyun Bin gave her on their last day at the Mondello beach.

...

Ye Jin was very annoyed when Hyun Bin cuddled her awake. She was severely tired from their all-night romping that he had to pull her up to her feet and dress her in her bikini by himself.

She was rubbing sunscreen on her body when Hyun Bin sat beside her and held up a small box.

"What's that?"

"For you.", he said with a sweet smile.

She carefully took it, maintaining her pissed façade until the frown on her face was instantly replaced with shock upon seeing the crystal Swarovski studs inside the box. 

"Why did you get me this?", she chided.

"I saw you looking at it", Hyun Bin defended. 

He caught her eyeing the pair of earrings when he paid for their swimwear back on their first day at the beach and was going to ask her if she wanted it when she suddenly dragged him towards Lucia's restaurant.

"So I went back to the boutique yesterday and got if for you.", he was going to say that he also bought it as an apology gift, but she was already annoyed that he woke her up for a last quick swim and decided to keep that to himself. 

Ye Jin blushed and couldn't keep the bashful smile from creeping on her face. 

"Thank you.", she uttered in the softest tone she could produce and leaned to kiss him. 

"Are you finally willing to go on a dip with me now?", Hyun Bin teased.

Ye Jin giggled, "We could miss our flight and even that won't make me mad."

***

Ye Jin was smiling as she recalled a few moments from their heavenly trip when she heard Hyun Bin sigh. 

"Do you think they'll take it well?"

They're about to leave in 10 minutes and his nerves were really starting to get to him. Her dad had a pretty mean swing and her mom wasn't bad either, he could only hope for their golf clubs to stay where they belong once they find out.

Ye Jin stood up and approached him, encircling her hands around his waist. "You have nothing to worry about."

"I mean... I told them repeatedly that what they think is going to happen between us didn't really have a chance to happen between us."

"I told them the same thing", Ye Jin tried to boost his confidence. "I bet you they'll be even happier after realizing that their hunch was right."

There was no reason for him to get anxious when her parents always loved him. In fact, they loved him a tad bit too much. 

She briefly pulled away, "Actually there is something you have to worry about."

Hyun Bin took the bait and his eyes widened, "What? I should have gotten them a different wine, right? I was so hesitant about that, I wasn't sure if it was going to suit your dad's taste–"

"Aniya, aniya." Ye Jin shook her head

"Then what?"

Ye Jin looked at him seriously, "When they find out..", she sighed animatedly, "I'm afraid they're going to like this pairing too much and just might get us married at the soonest possible..."

Hyun Bin scoffed, finally letting out the breath he was holding and allowed himself to relax a little. He giggled as he pulled Ye Jin closer to him and rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Well, that's something I never have to worry about.", he whispered. "Like I said, I'll marry you in a heartbeat."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that will be the last for this story. 
> 
> Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I certainly enjoyed writing it and I hope most of you were satisfied with how it went :) 
> 
> I started writing this as my own little BinJin project for Valentine's and a way to distract myself as we wait for the joint CF, and now it's out!! 
> 
> I wish you all well and til next time <3 Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!


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